Conservative MP’s blurry resignation letter to Boris Johnson is ridiculed

Boris Johnson saw a flurry of resignation letters handed in from members of his top team on Tuesday, but some were more successfully done than others.

Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak dramatically quit the cabinet at around 6pm on Monday, sparking a rush of other junior ministers doing the same, with many opting to use social media to announce their departures.

One of those to step down was Andrew Murrison, who quit his post as trade envoy to Morocco in a letter in which he called for the prime minister to resign.

Unfortunately for him, no-one could read it.

Murrison uploaded a picture of his letter to Twitter, but ended up producing a rather fuzzy and unclear image.

The letter prompted a flurry of jokes.

James Felton posted: "Boris Johnson trying to figure out if you've resigned."

Michael Joseph summed up the mood and helpfully suggested: "Hi Andrew, could you take another photo not using a potato?"

Kate Wilton said: "Be useful if we could read it though."

Another Twitter user added: "What did you use to take this picture, a Nintendo DS?"

Watch: 'Enough is enough', says Sajid Javid as he calls on ministers to oust Boris Johnson

Read more: In full - Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid's resignation letters

Murrison soon got the message, and posted a clearer - if crumpled - picture of his letter.

His letter stated that recent events were the “last straw in the rolling chaos of the past six months”.

“Others must square, as best they can, their continuing enjoyment of your patronage with their personal sense of decency, honour and integrity, but I no longer can,” he wrote.

“Your position has become unrecoverable. I strongly urge you to resign.”

The PM is seeing his authority collapse around him after Downing Street was forced to admit Johnson was told about an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations about Tory MP Chris Pincher before promoting him to deputy chief whip.

A further slew of junior ministers quit on Wednesday, and a number of previously loyal backbenchers went public with calls for Johnson to step aside.

A bruising prime minister's questions saw Tory MPs turn on their leader, including one devastating intervention from Gary Sambrook, who revealed that Johnson in private blamed MPs for not trying to stop Pincher from drinking too much.

Sambrook told the House of Commons:"As if that wasn't insulting enough to the people who did try to intervene that night, and then also to the victims that drink was the problem.

"Isn't it the example that, if the prime minister constantly tries to deflect from the issue and always tries to blame other people for mistakes, that leaves nothing left for him to do but to take responsibility and resign."