Sir Simon McDonald, the Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office arrive in Downing Street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, May 4, 2020.
Sir Simon McDonald, the Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office arrive in Downing Street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, May 4, 2020. Reuters / John Sibley

Britain's finance and health ministers resigned on Tuesday, in what looked to be a final blow for Prime Minister Boris Johnson who had tried to apologise for the latest scandal involving a sexual misconduct complaint over one of his ministers.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced his resignation in a statement, saying he could "no longer continue in good conscience."

Moments later, finance minister Rishi Sunak also announced he was quitting.

The resignations came as Johnson was apologising for what he said was a mistake by not realising that former whip Chris Pincher was unsuitable for a job in government after complaints of sexual misconduct were made against him.

"In hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do. I apologise to everyone who's been badly affected by it," Johnson told broadcasters.