Can The Queen Sack The Prime Minister?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offered his resignation after a wave of ministers quit and left the government on its knees. However, it is believed that Johnson will attempt to cling on to power until the autumn, whilst the Conservative Party leadership elections take place.

Though it seems many, including some Conservative MPs, would rather see him go immediately and Deputy PM Dominic Raab step up as Interim PM. 

If Johnson Cannot Be Made To Leave More Quickly, Can The Queen Sack Him?

Yes. Theoretically, the Queen does have the power to sack the Prime Minister, but it would be highly unusual in modern times for the monarch to use such power. 

As the head of state, it is technically the Queen alone that holds the power to form and dissolve governments as well as appoint the Prime Minister.

Although in modern times, as the role of the Queen has become more ceremonial and it has become the norm for the royal family to remain politically neutral, it is extremely unlikely that the Queen would intervene in this scenario.

If the Queen were to dismiss Johnson, it would lead to a constitutional crisis and set a dangerous precedent of an unelected head of state sacking the elected Prime Minister. 

It is, however, not without precedent for the reigning monarch to step in and remove a sitting Prime Minister.

In 1834, King William IV sacked former Whig Party Prime Minister Lord Melbourne as PM and asked Sir Robert Peel to serve as Prime Minister.

Though this was before political parties existed as they do today, and Prime Ministers changed frequently.

This was also the last time the monarch dismissed a British Prime Minister. 

Ultimately, it will be for the Conservative Party - not the Queen - to act quickly to remove Johnson and hold a swift leadership election to find the next Prime Minister.