The MP for Brentwood and Ongar is among several ministers to resign from their roles and ask Boris Johnson to “step aside”.

Alex Burghart will no longer continue as a minister in the Department for Education following controversy about the appointment of the former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

He submitted a joint letter with MPs Kemi Badenoch, Neil O'Brien, Lee Rowley and Julia Lopez today (July 6).

They wrote: “It is with great regret that we are resigning as members of the Government.

“It has been an honour to serve in your administration and we remain extremely grateful for the opportunity you have given us to serve our country.”

While he said Mr Johnson had “the most difficult task in a generation” and applauded his “fortitude”, he has now called for his resignation.

He said: “It has become increasingly clear that the Government cannot function given the issues that have come to light and the way in which they have been handled.

“In good faith, we must ask that, for the good of the party and the country, you step aside.”

Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced his resignation last night, followed soon afterwards by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

This unfolded after Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised for hiring Mr Pincher, despite knowing he had faced complaints over inappropriate behaviour back in 2019.

In the past few days, Mr Johnson had been changing his messaging over the hiring and handling of Mr Pincher after he quit last week when accusations of groping two men in a private member’s club in London arose.

No 10 had initially claimed Mr Johnson had not been aware of any “specific allegations”, after Mr Pincher’s dramatic resignation.

By Monday that line had evolved to acknowledge the Prime Minister was aware of “allegations that were either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint”.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Ellis told MPs “last week, when fresh allegations arose, the Prime Minister did not immediately recall the conversation in late 2019 about this incident”.

“As soon as he was reminded, the No 10 press office corrected their public lines.”

Mr Johnson denied lying to his aides about the situation.

The admission that Mr Johnson forgot about the earlier complaint came after the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, Lord McDonald, said the original No 10 account was “not true” and the Prime Minister had been briefed “in person”.