Boris Johnson's scandal-ravaged premiership was dangling by a thread on Wednesday as he battled efforts to force him from office even as a growing number of government ministers urged the beleaguered British Prime Minister to resign.

Johnson began the day vowing to fight on, despite the shock resignations of his finance minister, health secretary and dozens of other lawmakers furious about the latest saga to engulf Downing Street: the botched handling of a resignation by Johnson's former deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher, who was accused of groping two men last week.

Johnson endured a battering at Prime Minister's Questions and a bruising appearance before a parliamentary committee of senior lawmakers in Parliament, before a delegation of cabinet members arrived at Downing Street to ask Johnson to resign.

But Johnson refused to go down without a fight. On Wednesday night, he sacked close ally and senior cabinet minister Michael Gove, who sources told CNN had urged Johnson earlier in the day to accept that his time was up.

Another key ally, Home Secretary Priti Patel, told Johnson that the general view of the Conservative party was that he had to go, a source close to Patel told CNN.

As the news of Gove's firing emerged, a spokesman for Johnson insisted that the Prime Minister was in "really good spirits."

Speaking to CNN, Johnson's parliamentary private secretary James Duddridge said Johnson was "fighting on because he believes he can win."

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