PM Boris Johnson's Four Senior Staff Resign, Chief Of Staff To Downing Street 10 Policy Chief

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (Wikimedia Commons/UK Prime Minister)

JAKARTA - Four of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's closest staff members resigned on Thursday, a turbulent day for his government as it tries to reorganize its government in the face of a series of scandals that have put its position in jeopardy.

Prime Minister Johnson is facing a growing crisis amid anger over a series of parties held at his official residence and office at 10 Downing Street during the coronavirus lockdown.

Some lawmakers from his backing Conservative Party, angry that he has called for his resignation, are demanding an overhaul of his Downing Street operation if he is to stay in power.

On Thursday, three of his top aides, Chief of Staff Dan Rosenfield, Principal Personal Secretary Martin Reynolds and Director of Communications Jack Doyle, all resigned in what some Conservative MPs (MP) said looked like the start of a rather disorganized rearrangement.

However, the fourth stopped because of the thorn Johnson made on the leader of the main opposition Labor Party, something his finance minister also criticized.

"On Monday Boris Johnson promised change to lawmakers. Tonight we saw that change begin to take place and I welcome this prime minister's swift action," MP Stuart Anderson said on Twitter, one of a number of supporters of PM Johnson.

PM Johnson vowed to change his leadership style, after senior civil servant Sue Gray's report on meetings held at his Downing Street office and residence condemned the "serious failure of leadership".

Rosenfield, Reynolds, and Doyle were directly linked to the meeting, with Reynolds reportedly sending emails asking attendees to "bring your own drink" to one of them.

However, PM Johnson's Office said Rosenfield and Reynolds would remain in their posts for the time being. Whether a cleanup in PM Johnson's top team will be enough to tackle the crisis remains to be seen.

PM Johnson, who won a massive Conservative majority in the 2019 election, has also been condemned this week for accusing Labor leader Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile, one of Britain's worst sex offenders, during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The false claims that Starmer, PM Johnson says amount to "mimicking a ruthless fascist conspiracy theory", have angered not only opponents but also some within his own party.

PM Johnson has refused to apologize but stepped back from commenting on Thursday, saying "a lot of people get really hot under the collar".

"I'm not talking about the opposition leader's personal record as he, the DPP, and I fully understand that he had nothing to do personally with that decision."

But that failed to satisfy Munira Mirza, the policy chief with whom he had worked for 14 years, and prompted him to quit his job, and also drew criticism from Finance Minister Rishi Sunak.

"This is no ordinary political cut and nudge, it is an inappropriate and partisan reference to a horrendous case of child sex abuse," The Spectator magazine quoted Mirza as saying in a letter to PM Johnson.

"I hope you find within yourself to apologize for the misjudgment made under great pressure. It's not too late for you but, I'm sorry to say, it's too late for me."

Asked if the prime minister should have apologized, Minister Sunak, who along with foreign minister Liz Truss are considered top contenders to replace Johnson if he is forced out, said: "To be honest, I wouldn't say it, and I'm glad the prime minister clarified what he said."

Citing the BBC, here are four senior staff members of PM Boris Johnson who have resigned from their posts.

Head of policy at No. 10 Downing Street, Munira Mirza has worked for Boris Johnson for 14 years, including when he was Mayor of London, and is seen as one of his most trusted advisers.

Jack Doyle worked as a journalist for the Daily Mail before joining No.10 Downing Street. He is reported to have attended one of the Christmas gatherings in December 2020, where he thanked staff for their work.

Martin Reynolds is a civil servant and works as Principal Private Secretary to Boris Johnson. In that role, he heads the PM's private office. He was responsible for emailing invitations to staff inviting them to social distancing drinks at the No 10 Downing Street park in May 2020.

Dan Rosenfield joined No.10 Downing Street as chief of staff in January 2021 and has worked in the Treasury for former chancellors Alistair Darling and George Osborne. He took over the job of chief of staff from Johnson's longtime aide, Sir Edward Lister.