REUTERS, London

Britain’s Boris Johnson yesterday vowed to fight on against a chorus of calls for him to resign as prime minister, but his defiant pledge to keep going was met with derision and disregard from a growing number of his own lawmakers.

Badly wounded by the resignations of a stream of senior colleagues and junior ministers who said he was not fit to govern, Johnson sought to come out fighting at parliament’s weekly prime minister’s questions session.

With the tide of resignations rising to more than 20, some questioned whether Johnson could fill vacancies at a time when there are calls for the government to tackle a cost-of-living crisis and support an economy heading for a sharp slowdown, possibly a recession.

His immediate fate could be decided at a meeting of the so-called 1922 Committee that sets the rules for leadership confidence votes. A spokesperson said Johnson was confident he would win a confidence motion.

“The job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances is to keep going,” Johnson said. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”

Earlier, he tried to reassert his authority by quickly appointing Nadhim Zahawi, a rising star in the Conservative Party widely credited for the successful rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, as finance minister.

But Johnson’s performance in parliament encountered a brutal response.

Standing in the backbenches, his former health minister, Sajid Javid, detailed the scandals, missteps and gaffes that have marked Johnson’s tenure so far.

The prime minister was later due to appear before the chairs of select committees for a scheduled two-hour grilling.