Women With Balls: Victoria Atkins on Boris's downfall

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🗓️ 22 July 2022

⏱️ 25 minutes

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Summary

Until July 6, Victoria Atkins was the Minister of State for Refugees and Minister of State for Prisons and Probation. But as dozens of her colleagues quit in the wake of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid's resignations (which themselves followed No. 10's messy handling of the Chris Pincher affair), Atkins resigned too, writing that 'values such as integrity, decency, respect and professionalism' have ‘fractured’ under Boris Johnson's leadership.

On this episode of Women With Balls, Katy Balls hits the rewind button with Atkins, taking us through the turbulent events of those few days. They discuss what it's like to resign from government while on a school run; unforced errors from No. 10 itself; and whether the Conservative party can properly heal after this divisive time.

Produced by Cindy Yu.

Transcript

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0:00.0	A Spectator subscription is now better value than ever before.
0:04.0	As a new subscriber joining today, you'll pay just £1 a week for unlimited online and app access in your first year.
0:12.0	To subscribe today, go to spectator.co.com.U.K. forward slash unlimited.
0:21.6	Hello and welcome to Women with Balls, where I, Katie Balls, speak to today's trailblazers.
0:27.5	There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen.
0:31.9	On Friday, number 10 said that the Prime Minister knew specifics about Chris Pinch's alleged
0:37.2	behaviour when he made
0:38.4	him Deputy Chief Whip.
0:40.5	Today, Number 10 said the Prime Minister was aware.
0:43.6	We're just hearing that Sajid Javid has resigned.
0:49.4	I think Rishi Sunak has just resigned.
0:52.2	I'm just getting this through. All day, it felt at times like every 10
0:56.9	minutes or so. Conservative MPs were sending letters saying the Prime Minister should go. And just take
1:03.2	a look at the language chosen by the now former Justice Minister Victoria Atkins as she resigned.
1:09.4	Values such as integrity, decency, respect and professionalism
1:14.9	should matter to us all.
1:16.4	Being reported that there's a delegation of your cabinet colleagues waiting in Downing Street
1:20.6	to tell you when you finish it today that it's time for you to go.
1:23.9	Breaking news, Boris Johnson has sacked Michael Gave.
1:28.1	We understand that resignation statement is being prepared in number 10 as we speak,
1:32.1	and we expect that the Prime Minister will deliver it today.
1:35.3	It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party
	...

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