SALISBURY’S member of parliament John Glen has spoken out following a whirlwind week in politics.

Yesterday Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he was stepping down from his role, prompted by the resignation of more than 50 MPs.

This included Mr Glen, who resigned from his economic secretary to the treasury position Wednesday morning.

READ MORE:

Talking to the Journal today, July 8, Mr Glen said his resignation was “at the right time”, after the Prime Minister remained determined to stay in charge.

This was despite Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid’s resignations earlier in the week, quickly followed by MPs stepping down all over the country.

These exits were prompted by Mr Johnson’s hiring and handling of former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who resigned after being accused of groping two men at a private member's club in London last week.

When asked about the timing of his resignation and return to the backbenches, Mr Glen assured he was “one of the earliest to go”.

For Mr Glen his resignation was “at the right time”, hoping, like other MPs, this would spur the PM to also stand down.

He said he was “disappointed [the PM] had not taken the hint”, the government could not run in its current form, and when there wasn’t a resignation in sight “more of us needed to move”.

When asked about the damage caused by Mr Johnson’s government to the country and its reputation, Mr Glen said “change needed to happen”, adding the country now needs a few weeks to "begin healing" and undergo “necessary changes”.

He looks forward to a new PM refocusing on areas including the economy and inflation.

“I recognise for many people this has been a frustrating time in politics,” he added.

When asked who he could see fit as the next Prime Minister, Mr Glen hinted at friends Mr Sunak, former chancellor of the exchequer, and Mr Javid, former health secretary.

Despite naming two Conservative colleagues, he says there will be a “formal announcement” in due course.

When asked about his priorities for Salisbury, where he will remain MP, Mr Glen said he has “always been dedicated to Salisbury”, but his standing down will give him “more flexibility” and he will be able to “speak more freely” about constituent issues.

Stressing his commitment to the city “hasn’t changed”, Mr Glen said: “Sometimes there have been frustrations if I can’t speak out more about causes, it has always made it difficult, but now I'll be able to express concerns more freely.”

His priorities for the city are “ongoing works”, including investment and tourism, and he looks forward to the next A303 Stonehenge tunnel update.

Get more Salisbury news. 

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date, as well as signing up for one of our newsletters.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.