British finance minister Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid have resigned from Boris Johnson's government, leading a wave of resignations, reported BBC.

 

Sunak, who resigned on Tuesday, said he had reluctantly come to the conclusion that "we cannot continue like this".

 

"The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning," he said on Twitter.

 

As the most senior person in government after the prime minister, Sunak's resignation is a big blow to Johnson while Javid, who ran against Johnson in the leadership election, has played a major role during the pandemic, reported Sky News.

 

In his resignation letter to the prime minister, also posted on his Twitter account, Sunak pointed to "immense challenges" that Britain was facing, adding that the people were "ready to hear the truth". 

 

"In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally different," Sunak said.

 

His resignation came minutes after health secretary stepped down after he had lost confidence in Johnson's ability to govern in the national interest.

 

Javid echoed Sunak's view saying the government was not "acting in the national interest".

 

The resignations came minutes after the PM apologised for appointing MP Chris Pincher to a government role.

 

Johnson admitted he had made a "bad mistake" in appointing Pincher to the role of deputy chief whip earlier this year, despite being told about earlier allegations about the MP's conduct.

 

In an interview with the BBC, Johnson said: "In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do. I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it."