The latest on Boris Johnson’s resignation

Boris Johnson’s turbulent tenure as Britain’s Prime Minister came to an end Thursday after a historic party revolt over a series of ethics scandals forced him to step down.

It took the resignation of nearly 60 members of his government — almost half the payroll — for Johnson to finally abandon his attempts to cling on to power.

Speaking in front of the famous 10 Downing Street door, the same place where many of his predecessors delivered their own resignation address, Johnson announced that he would be stepping down — without actually saying the words out loud.

Even then, the Prime Minister insisted that he would continue as caretaker leader while the Conservative Party launches the process of choosing a successor.

Some senior figures in his party say even that will be unsustainable, given the dwindling number of people willing to work for him.

Others are already lining up to replace him. Party officials say they will announce the timetable for a leadership election by Monday.

Thank you for joining us for our live coverage. Read our full report here.

After nearly a week of chaos and misery among Conservative lawmakers, “the bubble has been burst. We can move on,” as one former government minister put it.

Despite all the problems facing the country, despite the Conservative party trailing in the polls and despite the potential stain Boris Johnson has left on the party, Conservatives are relieved and even optimistic.
However bad things were, the party seems to sincerely believe it can rebuild itself and that the leadership contest will allow it to reinvent itself after Johnson.

There is anger that Johnson might stay in post until autumn from those who feel the most let down by him, and some don’t quite believe that he won’t try and do further damage in the final weeks of his time in Downing Street.

Those two groups are largely from the extreme ends of the party: The arch-Conservative Euroskeptics who saw Johnson as the closest thing to an ideologically alighted leader they would ever see and the softer Conservatives who think he’s debased the party.

For most, the nightmare of the past few months is over and, for now, Conservatives largely believe they can get back to doing what they believe they do best: Finding ways to stay in power.

This is, of course, an early snapshot of opinion and a leadership contest could well bring up wrinkles, divisions and more fundamental problems with the party that has been in power for 12 years.

A poll published on Thursday by James Johnson, who worked for Theresa May when she was Prime Minister, indicated that only one of the potential candidates to replace Johnson, former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, outpolls the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer.

But for the time being, life in Conservative world is more upbeat than it’s been for a long time.

Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government will not make major policy or fiscal changes before his successor is chosen, he told his Cabinet, according to a meeting readout seen by CNN.

“He made clear the government would not seek to implement new policies or make major changes of direction, rather it would focus on delivering the agenda on which the Government was elected. He said major fiscal decisions should be left for the next Prime Minister,” according to the statement.

For the remainder of his tenure, the government’s priority would be to focus on delivering manifesto pledges, “the cost of energy, transport and housing and all else that matters to the public.”

UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab will not stand as the next Conservative leader, Britain’s PA news agency reports.

This move could see him become the caretaker Prime Minister if Boris Johnson stands down before a new Tory leader is elected.

Johnson resigned Thursday but has insisted he will stay on until the Tories elect a new leader despite mounting calls for him to step down right away.

Conservative MP Steve Baker told CNN’s Max Foster that if a Conservative politician were to be appointed as caretaker Prime Minister in the time between Johnson’s resignation and the party’s election of a new leader, that person could not enter the race to become the next British Prime Minister.

In a statement provided to CNN, US President Joe Biden said he looks forward to continuing “close cooperation with the government of the United Kingdom” and other allies on a host of issues, including Ukraine.

He also described the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom as “strong and enduring.”

The statement comes on the heels of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcing he intends to resign his post.

Read Biden’s full statement:

“The United Kingdom and the United States are the closest of friends and Allies, and the special relationship between our people remains strong and enduring. I look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the government of the United Kingdom, as well as our Allies and partners around the world, on a range of important priorities. That includes maintaining a strong and united approach to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Putin’s brutal war on their democracy, and holding Russia accountable for its actions.”

Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the UK’s support for Ukraine during a phone call on Thursday.

Johnson called Zelensky a “hero” and said “everybody loves you,” according to an official readout of the call. 

“The Prime Minister highlighted the UK’s unwavering cross-party support for President Zelensky’s people, and said the UK would continue to supply vital defensive aid for as long as needed,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

Zelensky’s office confirmed they discussed the future of “defense cooperation” and Britain’s support for Ukraine. He thanked Johnson for his “decisive” action on Ukraine. 

“We all heard this news with sadness. Not only me, but also the entire Ukrainian society,” Zelensky told Johnson. “We have no doubt that Great Britain’s support will be preserved, but your personal leadership and charisma made it special.”

Johnson reportedly pledged to continue to work “at pace” toward ending Russia’s grain blockade of Black Sea ports “in the coming weeks.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation announcement on Thursday has triggered the search for a new Conservative Party leader.

Under the UK political system, between elections, only Conservative members of Parliament have the power to remove a sitting Conservative Prime Minister.

Johnson indicated in his resignation speech that he plans to stay in office until a successor is chosen.

But it’s not clear that the Conservative Party will stand for that in Johnson’s case.

Take a look at who might replace Johnson as UK Prime Minister.

So, how will a new leader be selected and what can we expect?

How is the new Conservative Party leader chosen?

Leadership candidates need the support of at least eight lawmakers.

If there are more than two candidates, Conservative Party lawmakers hold round after round of votes to whittle the number of leadership candidates down to two.

Then Conservative Party members nationwide vote — by mail — between the two finalists.

The winner becomes leader of the party — and Prime Minister.

Is there any way to force Johnson to leave before a new Conservative Party leader is chosen?

Conservative lawmakers could, in theory, try to force him out themselves by calling a vote of confidence among Tory MPs. But Johnson survived a vote like that just a month ago.

Under current party rules, that means there can’t be another party confidence vote in him for 12 months.

The rules could be changed, but it’s not clear the Conservative Party wants to start that kind of infighting when Johnson has already said he’s going, and when a leadership contest is under way.

Can’t the opposition do anything to force Johnson out?

Labour leader Keir Starmer said Thursday that if the Conservatives didn’t push Johnson out immediately, the opposition would call a confidence vote in the government among the entire House of Commons.

If the opposition won, it could theoretically lead to a general election — but even with all the chaos in the Conservative Party at the moment, they still have a big majority in the House of Commons, and they’re not likely to want a general election at the same time as a leadership election. So the chances of the opposition bringing the government down now are slim.

As crisis after crisis has engulfed Boris Johnson in recent months, so rivals of Britain’s beleaguered Prime Minister have been plotting behind closed doors to replace him.

After a dramatic cascade of nearly 60 resignations by lawmakers and government officials, Johnson was forced to begrudgingly announce on Thursday that he would step down.

Here are the potential contenders to succeed him as the new leader of the Conservative Party:

Rishi Sunak

The former chancellor was Johnson’s presumed successor for several months after he won praise for overseeing Britain’s initial financial response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Sunak’s stock sank earlier this year after revelations that his wife had non-domicile tax status in the UK and that he held a US green card while a minister. He is, however, still among the bookmakers’ odds-on favorites to take Johnson’s job.

Sajid Javid

Like Sunak, Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned this week over the botched handling of the resignation of Johnson’s former deputy chief whip in a sexual misconduct scandal. Although Javid’s resignation speech sounded very much like a pitch for Prime Minister, outlining how to reshape the party for future generations, it is not yet clear whether he will run.

Liz Truss

The foreign secretary, who has made her leadership ambitions known in recent years, could now be in pole position. Truss is popular among Conservative members, who would pick the eventual winner of a contest. Last month, a source working in the Foreign Office told CNN that Truss had been in “endless meetings with MPs,” and that “it’s been insinuated that she’s seeing what her support base is, should the time come.” Truss’ office denied that any covert leadership bid was coming.

Penny Mordaunt

The trade minister is one of the bookmakers’ favorites to replace Johnson. After last month’s confidence vote, Penny Mordaunt declined to comment on whether she backed Johnson, raising eyebrows among Westminster observers when she said: “I didn’t choose this Prime Minister.”

Tom Tugendhat

A former British military officer who chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat has been one of Johnson’s most robust critics and has made no secret of his desire to become Prime Minister.

Nadhim Zahawi

Less than two days after he was appointed to chancellor, replacing Sunak, Nadhim Zahawi publicly called on Johnson to resign. Until his promotion, Zahawi, who joined the cabinet less than a year ago, was considered an unlikely choice as the next Prime Minister. But his rise under Johnson has been rapid, making his mark with early success as vaccines minister amid the coronavirus pandemic and then as education secretary.

Jeremy Hunt

A former health and foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt lost the 2019 leadership vote to Johnson. He has since styled himself as an antidote to Johnson and is without question the highest profile contender on the moderate, ex-Remain side of the party.

Read about the other contenders here.

The leader of the opposition Labour party has said Boris Johnson needs to go “completely” and “not cling on for a few months.”

Earlier, Keir Starmer said that his party will bring forward a vote of confidence in Johnson if the Conservatives allow him to “cling on” to power.

Johnson is expected to remain as a caretaker prime minister until a new Conservative leader is picked.

“He needs to go completely — none of this nonsense about clinging on for a few months. He’s inflicted lies, fraud and chaos in the country,” Starmer said in a video posted to his Twitter account on Thursday.

Labour has not been in power since losing the 2010 election, and Starmer criticized 12 years of government under the Conservatives.

“We’re stuck with a government which isn’t functioning in the middle of cost of living crisis. And all of those that have been propping him up should be utterly ashamed of themselves. We’ve had 12 years of a stagnant economy, 12 years of broken public services, 12 years of empty promises. Enough is enough.”

“And the change we need is not a change at the top of the Tory party, it’s much more fundamental than that. We need a change of government and a fresh start for Britain,” Starmer said.

The leader of the House of Commons, Mark Spencer, responded to concerns about a lack of ministers in government on Thursday, saying that “where there is a vacancy, those ministers will be appointed very soon, that the function of those departments will be up and running very quickly.”

As of Thursday afternoon, 59 officials have resigned from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government this week, including five cabinet ministers. 

There are 122 government ministers in total, according to the Institute for Government, of which 28 have resigned. That means nearly a quarter of British government ministers have resigned this week, according to CNN’s latest tally.

A further 31 government officials, including parliamentary private secretaries and trade envoys, have also resigned this week. 

Several of those officials have already been replaced. On Thursday morning, Johnson’s government made several new appointments to his ministerial team and cabinet. However, many junior ministerial positions and parliamentary private secretary positions remain unfilled. 

“There are many talented people on the benches behind me that will be able to take up those roles,” Spencer said in the House of Commons on Thursday afternoon. “They’re probably all waiting by their phones.” 

Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers argue that the Conservative Party is potentially running out of MPs willing to serve in the government. 

Labour (Co-op) MP Barry Sheerman said there is a “national crisis and a national emergency” and that there should be cross-bench cooperation in the coming weeks in the national interest. Labour MP Ruth Cadbury raised concerns that the basic functions of the government “currently seem to be collapsing.” 

Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin has extended his well wishes to outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and urged a “pulling back” by the UK from unilateral action on Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol.  

In a statement, Martin commended Johnson’s “leadership highlights,” including his response to the war in Ukraine as well as leading the United Kingdom through the pandemic. 

“From a personal perspective, I am conscious that he has been through a difficult few weeks and I extend my best wishes to him and his family for the future, following the announcement of his resignation,” the taoiseach said. 

Martin also acknowledged the “strained and challenged” relationship between his government and Johnson’s over Brexit and highlighted the importance of a close partnership in maintaining “peace and prosperity on these islands.”

He called for Britain’s new leader to “return to the true spirit of partnership and mutual respect that is needed to underpin the gains of the Good Friday Agreement.” 

Some background: The protocol is the part of the Brexit deal that sets out special trading arrangements for Northern Ireland in order to prevent a harder border between the country, which is part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU. Johnson’s government however had laid out plans to make changes to the bill which were opposed by the EU.

Ireland “stands ready to work with a new UK PM on protecting our shared achievements in the peace process & our shared responsibility under international law on #Brexit,” Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said on Twitter, adding his well wishes for Johnson and his family.

Lawmakers on both sides of the political divide in Northern Ireland have called on Johnson to immediately step down as prime minister, not wait until his successor as Conservative leader is in place.

A poll asking respondents to choose between UK Labour leader Keir Starmer and seven likely contenders to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister finds all the Conservatives trailing Starmer except ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who led Starmer by one point. 

The poll found Starmer leading six other hopefuls: ex-Health Secretary Javid (by three points), Defense Secretary Ben Wallace (by 11 points), Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (by 12 points), Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi (by 13 points), former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (by 13 points) and former Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt (by 15 points.) 

“For each of the following pairs, please indicate which you would most like to be prime minister,” Respondents were asked in the poll.

Pollster James Johnson, who worked for Theresa May when she was prime minister, noted that these were the preliminary results and people may change their mind as the contest gets underway.

Sunak and Javid both resigned from high-profile positions in the Johnson Cabinet the day before the poll was launched. Their departures triggered an avalanche of more than 50 other resignations that ultimately forced Johnson to resign on Thursday. 

The poll, from JL Partners, surveyed 2,028 UK adults online on July 6-7, before Johnson announced his resignation. The margin of error on the sample is plus or minus 2.2 points.

UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a cabinet meeting on Thursday, hours after he announced his resignation.

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries were among the ministers seen entering Downing Street prior to the meeting.

Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major said it would be “unwise and may be unsustainable” for Boris Johnson to remain in the office of prime minister for a length of time while a new Conservative leader is chosen.

In a letter to the Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, Sir Graham Brady, Major wrote, “The proposal for the Prime Minister to remain in office – for up to three months — having lost the support of his Cabinet, his Government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable.”

“In such a circumstance the Prime Minister maintains the power of patronage and, of even greater concern, the power to make decisions which will affect the lives of those within all four nations of the United Kingdom and further afield,” Major added in the letter, which was released by his archive on Thursday afternoon. 

“Some will argue that his new Cabinet will restrain him. I merely note that his previous Cabinet did not — or could not — do so,” he continued.

Major suggested that Johnson could resign as prime minister, and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab could serve as acting prime minister until a new leader is elected. Another scenario he suggested was for Conservative MPs to elect a new leader to be installed as prime minister, and then party members could later endorse the new leader. 

“Neither of these options is ideal, but the interests of the country must be given priority over all else and, with so many long-term and critical issues before us, an imaginative response even at the risk of some bruised feelings within the party — is most definitely in the national interest,” he concluded.

Dominic Cummings, who served as Boris Johnson’s most senior advisor before becoming an outspoken critic of the Prime Minister, said he doesn’t believe Johnson has given up on his fight to stay in the office.

Writing on Twitter before Johnson delivered his statement but after the news he intended to resign broke, Cummings said: “I know that guy & I’m telling you he doesn’t think it’s over.” He added that he believes Johnson thinks he can “play for time” and “get out of this.”

Cummings was one of Johnson’s closest aides since he became Prime Minister in 2019, and he wielded unprecedented power and influence inside Downing Street.

He was often credited as the architect of two of Johnson’s greatest political triumphs: Brexit and his landslide election victory in 2019.

Cummings left Downing Street amid a bitter fallout in November 2020 and has since become a vocal critic of the Prime Minister — most notably of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Commenting after Johnson’s address, Cummings said the speech was “in character” for the Prime Minister.

“Blames everyone else. Thinks he’s the real victim. Sets up betrayal story for future Tory conferences & Telegraph columns,” he said on Twitter.

“We’re all in for a nightmare if he’s allowed to squat,” he added.

Michel Barnier, the European Union’s former chief Brexit negotiator, said he hoped Boris Johnson resignation’s would herald a “more constructive” relationship between the EU and the UK.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “a true friend of Ukraine,” adding that he is confident that the UK’s policy toward Ukraine won’t be changing any time soon despite Johnson’s resignation.

Ukraine gained a lot from their relationship with the prime minister, including first and foremost military support, Zelensky told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview on Thursday when asked about his comments on Johnson’s resignation.

In his resignation speech, Johnson addressed Britain’s role in supporting Ukraine in its war and said the UK will fight for freedom as long as it takes.

“Let me say now, to the people of Ukraine, that I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes,” Johnson said.

The Ukrainian president said he’s looking forward to speaking with Johnson directly to learn more about the details of his resignation.

The final lie that brought down the pyramid of untruths that sustained Boris Johnson’s premiership was a particularly unedifying one.

His claim to be unaware of prior complaints about a member of his government accused of assault was swiftly exposed, leading to first a trickle, then a stampede of ministers from his tainted administration.

Johnson has now resigned – like a fractious child unwilling to leave the party, he was previously reduced to begging for a few more months, weeks, days in office.

Why would a prime minister risk his leadership by appointing an alleged predator to a minor role in his government? Why lie about it when, inevitably, his folly was found out?

The answer is not that the miscreant Christopher Pincher was particularly close or important to Johnson; he wasn’t. Instead, both the inability to abide by the norms which bind everyone else and the casual and foolish falsehood which followed speak to flaws in Johnson’s makeup. Since childhood Johnson seems to have found it easier to reach for a preposterous lie than tell an obvious truth – and has yet to meet a rule he didn’t seek to break.

Read the full article here:

MADRID, SPAIN - JUNE 30: Boris Johnson, UK prime minister holds a press conference at the NATO Summit on June 30, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. During the summit in Madrid, on June 30 NATO leaders will make the historic decision whether to increase the number of high-readiness troops above 300,000 to face the Russian threat. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Related article Opinion: Boris Johnson's empire of lies has finally collapsed

The leaders of UK’s devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have welcomed the announcement from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that he intends to resign as Conservative Party leader on Thursday.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the resignation would bring “a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end.”

In a statement on her Twitter account, she said: “Boris Johnson was always manifestly unfit to be PM and the Tories should never have elected him leader or sustained him in office for as long as they have.”

Sturgeon, who has announced last month that she intends to hold an independence referendum next year, questioned Johnson’s plan to stay on as PM until autumn, saying it’s “far from ideal, and surely not sustainable.”

Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales, said Johnson has “done the right thing.”

“All four nations need a stable UK Government and I am therefore pleased to see the Prime Minister has now done the right thing and agreed to resign,” he said.

Michelle O’Neill, who leads Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, said it was “absurd” that Johnson was allowed to stay in the office for so long.

“It has been an utter absurdity that the people here have been subjected to Boris Johnson for any length of time. He is a figure of absolute disrepute. Anyone who tries to sabotage our peace agreements, a quarter century of progress and our shared future is truly no friend of ours,” she said. Sinn Fein is the largest group in Stormont, Northern Ireland’s devolved parliament.

A number of Conservative lawmakers have praised Boris Johnson for his decision to step down. Here are some of those who made public comments so far:

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson blamed the “herd instinct” of his colleagues for why he had to resign as Conservative Party leader during a defiant speech some criticized as lacking humility.

Here are some of the other key lines from the speech:

Johnson acknowledges the will of the Conservative Party, saying the timetable for departure to come soon

“It is clearly now the will of the Parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister, and I’ve agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now, and the timetable will be announced next week. 

“And I have today appointed a cabinet to serve – as I will – until a new leader is in place.”

He says he held off resigning due to the large mandate won at the last general election

“And the reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019.”

The UK will continue to support the plight of Ukrainians

“And let me say now, to the people of Ukraine, that I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes.”

He said it was “eccentric” to be forced out while government was “delivering so much”

“And in the last few days, I’ve tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we’re delivering so much, when we have such a vast mandate and when we’re actually only a handful of points behind in the polls – even in midterm after quite a few months and pretty relentless sledging – and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally.”

He blames his defenestration on the “herd instinct” of his colleagues

“But as we’ve seen in Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful when the herd moves, it moves.”

He says “no one is indispensable” and believes new Conservative leader can fix Britain’s problems

“And my friends in politics, no one is remotely indispensable, and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times. Not just helping families to get through it, but changing and improving the way we do things – cutting burdens on businesses and families and yes, cutting taxes, because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services.” 

While sad to go, Johnson will support whoever becomes the new leader

“And to that new leader, I say wherever he or she may be, I say I will give you as much support as I can. And to you, the British public – I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.”

Boris Johnson’s resignation speech told a story of how one of the UK’s most controversial leaders would like his time in Downing Street to be remembered. It is not how everyone in the country will recall his nearly three years as Prime Minister.

He spoke of his achievements, starting with getting Brexit done and “settling our relations with the continent for over half a century.” The UK is currently engaged in an almighty spat with the European Union over the very Brexit deal that Johnson signed in 2019, which is threatening to tear Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom.

He celebrated the UK’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which to date has killed over 180,000 Brits. He spoke of his flagship “levelling-up” agenda, a series of policies which have been widely derided as vague and non-existent.

And he spent a large part of the speech defending his own actions over the past few days, where in the face of derision from across the political divide Johnson clung to power, even though it was becoming clearer by the minute that not resigning was creating instability and chaos.

Johnson said that he did everything to stay in office because “it would be eccentric to change governments, when we’re delivering so much when we have such a vast mandate and when we’re actually only a handful of points behind in the polls.”

In reality, Johnson’s leadership has been in crisis since the start of the year and his protests that he should stay in power despite the numerous scandals and crises looked to many like craven attempts to hang on, no matter what was happening around him.

Attention now turns to a new leader, who will have to inherit a mess, both in terms of the Conservative party and the country. For all Johnson’s desire to remembered as a great Prime Minister, for many, that mess will be his legacy.

However, by the end, Johnson, unlike Donald Trump, did appreciate that his time was up. He wanted to hang on, but he admitted, “Them’s the breaks… no one is indispensable.”

For all the fears of a constitutional crisis, in the end, he did admit he’d run out of road.

Several Conservative party members were booed by angry members of public while leaving Downing Street following Johnson’s resignation statement, CNN’s Luke McGee reports from the scene.

Protesters have descended on the heart of the British government in recent days, demanding that Johnson quit.

Despite his resignation, Johnson has been appointing new cabinet ministers to ensure the government continues to work as he prepares to depart.

The newly appointed UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Greg Clark said on Thursday that he has a “duty to ensure that the country has a functioning government.” 

“We have a duty to ensure that the country has a functioning government in the weeks ahead,” Clark said in a tweet. “Having been Secretary of State at the Communities department before, I will do my best to provide stability, good governance and accountability to Parliament at this important time.”

Clark was appointed as a cabinet member on Thursday, replacing former minister Michael Gove, who was fired from the position by the prime minister on Wednesday night. 

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Thursday that Prime Minister “made the right decision” to resign as Conservative party leader, adding that the government needs “to keep governing while a new leader is found.” 

“The PM has made the right decision,” Truss said in a tweet. “The Government under Boris’s leadership had many achievements – delivering Brexit, vaccines and backing Ukraine.”

“We need calmness and unity now and to keep governing while a new leader is found,” she added.

In a speech delivered outside 10 Downing St, Boris Johnson said he would remain in his role until a new leader is selected.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative party on Thursday, telling the British public that “the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.”

Johnson indicated in his resignation speech that he plans to remain in post until a successor is chosen. That’s what would happen under normal circumstances: a prime minister who has resigned as party leader stays in office as caretaker prime minister until there is a new party leader.

But it’s not clear that the Conservative party will stand for that in Johnson’s case; many of his lawmakers have called for him to step down now.

One alternative would be for Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab to step in as caretaker. There’s no precedent for that – but there’s also no precedent for more than 50 government officials resigning in two days in order to force a prime minister out. 

Here’s what could happen next:

Does Johnson’s resignation trigger a general election?

No. It starts the Conservative party process for choosing a new leader of the party. UK prime ministers are not directly elected by the people; Johnson is a prime minister because he is the head of the largest party in the House of Commons. The Conservatives will still be the largest party after Johnson quits, so the new head of the party will become prime minister.

How is the new Conservative Party leader chosen?

Leadership candidates need the support of at least eight lawmakers. If there are more than two candidates, Conservative party lawmakers hold round after round of votes to whittle the number of leadership candidates down to two. Then Conservative party members nationwide vote – by mail – between the two finalists. The winner becomes leader of the party and prime minister.

When Johnson does finally leave Downing Street, what happens?

He submits his resignation to the Queen, in person. The Palace will announce officially that Queen Elizabeth II has accepted Johnson’s resignation, and will say who she has invited to become prime minister to replace him. That person will then go to meet the Queen to accept the invitation.

Does the new prime minister have to call a general election?

No. The United Kingdom isn’t scheduled to have another general election until December 2024. The new prime minister could choose to ask Parliament to vote for an early election, but isn’t required to do so.

Here is Johnson’s resignation speech in full:

Good afternoon, everybody. Good afternoon. Thank you. Thank you. It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister, and I’ve agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now, and the timetable will be announced next week.

And I have today appointed a Cabinet to serve – as I will – until a new leader is in place. 

So I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting Conservative for the first time. Thank you for that incredible mandate – the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of a vote since 1979. 

And the reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019. 

And of course, I’m immensely proud of the achievements of this government – from getting Brexit done to settling our relations with the continent for over half a century, reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in Parliament, getting us all through the pandemic, delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, the fastest exit from lockdown, and in the last few months, leading the West in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. 

And let me say now, to the people of Ukraine, that I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes. 

And at the same time in this country, we’ve been pushing forward a vast program of investment in infrastructure, in skills and technology – the biggest in a century. Because if I had one insight into human beings, it is that genius and talent and enthusiasm and imagination are evenly distributed throughout the population. But opportunity is not. And that’s why we must keep leveling up, keep unleashing the potential in every part of United Kingdom. And if we can do that, in this country, we will be the most prosperous in Europe. 

And in the last few days, I’ve tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we’re delivering so much, when we have such a vast mandate and when we’re actually only a handful of points behind in the polls – even in midterm after quite a few months and pretty relentless sledging – and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally.

I regret not to have been successful in those arguments, and of course, it’s painful, not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself. But as we’ve seen in Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful when the herd moves, it moves. 

And my friends in politics, no one is remotely indispensable, and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times. Not just helping families to get through it, but changing and improving the way we do things – cutting burdens on businesses and families and yes, cutting taxes, because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services. 

And to that new leader, I say wherever he or she may be, I say I will give you as much support as I can. And to you, the British public – I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.

I want to thank Carrie and our children to all members of my family who have had to put up with so much for so long. I want to thank the peerless British civil service for all the help and support that you have given our police, our emergency services, and of course, our fantastic NHS who at critical moment helped to extend my own period in office, as well as our armed services and our agencies that are so admired around the world and our indefatigable Conservative party members and supporters whose selfless campaigning makes our democracy possible.

I want to thank the wonderful staff here at Chequers – to here at Number 10 – and of course at Chequers and our fantastic prop force detectives, the one group by the way, who never leak.  

Above all, I want to thank you, the British public, for the immense privilege that you have given me. And I want you to know that from now on, until the new prime minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on. 

Being Prime Minister is an education in itself. I’ve traveled to every part of the United Kingdom and in addition to the beauty of our natural world, I find so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways, that I know that even if things can sometimes seem dark now, our future together is golden. 

Thank you all very much. Thank you.

WATCH:

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While Johnson expressed sadness about his resignation, he told the nation in a televised speech that “them’s the breaks.”

He added: “Above all, I want to thank you, the British public, for the immense privilege that you have given me. And I want you to know that from now on, until the new prime minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on.”

As he announced his resignation, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the nature of politics is that “no one is remotely indispensable.”

“As we’ve seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful — when the herd moves, it moves. And my friends, in politics, no one is remotely indispensable,” he said Thursday. “And our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times.”

Johnson said he will support his successor as much as he can. “To that new leader — whoever he or she may be — I say I will give you as much support as I can.”

He also addressed the British public, saying he is sad to be leaving the “best job in the world.”

“To you, the British public: I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps, quite a few will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world.”

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced his resignation as Conservative party leader following a wave of government resignations.

“It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister,” he said on Thursday.

“I’d agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.”

“And I’ve today appointed a Cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.”

“So I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voted Conservative, for the first time. Thank you for that incredible mandate. The biggest Conservative majority, since 1987,” he added.

As recently as last night Johnson said he intended to stay and fight. But the avalanche of resignations from government ministers continued through to Thursday, with letter after letter criticizing the scandal-hit leader and imploring Johnson to step down.

Johnson’s departure marks a remarkable downfall for a Prime Minister who was once seen as having political superpowers, with an appeal that transcended traditional party lines. He won a landslide victory in December 2019 on the promise of delivering a Brexit deal and leading the UK to a bright future outside the European Union. But his premiership unraveled in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The most immediate cause of his demise was the fallout from Johnson’s botched handling of a scandal surrounding a government official who is alleged to have groped two people at a dinner last week.

But Johnson has faced numerous other scandals that have hit his standing in the polls – despite his 80-seat landslide general election victory less than three years ago. These include accusations of using donor money inappropriately to pay for a refurbishment of his Downing Street home and ordering MPs to vote in such a way that would protect a colleague who had breached lobbying rules.

The podium has now been set up outside Downing Street, where UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is about to make a statement in which he is expected to resign as the leader of the ruling Conservative party.

He may stay on as caretaker Prime Minister until a new successor is picked by his party.

Johnson’s premiership has been marred by a series of scandals since his landslide victory in 2019. His latest woes erupted last Thursday over former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who resigned amid allegations he groped two guests at a private dinner the night before.

What landed Johnson in deeper trouble were the contortions that Downing Street press officers went into trying to explain why Pincher was ever in government in the first place, amid a wave of revelations of his previous conduct. 

This week more than 50 members of his government quit, with letter after letter denouncing Johnson and asking him to stand down.

Opposition Labour party leader Keir Starmer told Sky News that his party will bring forward a vote of confidence in Boris Johnson if the Conservatives allow him to “cling on” to power.

Johnson is expected to remain as a caretaker prime minister until a new Conservative leader is picked.

But Starmer said the Conservatives “can’t inflict him on the country for the next few months. If they don’t get rid of him, we will bring that vote of no confidence in the national interest because we can’t go on with this broken government, led by this discredited Prime Minister.”

UK stocks are higher in response to news that Boris Johnson will resign. The FTSE 100 was trading up just over 1% in the opening hours of trade. The British pound had also gained slightly, trading 0.75% higher at 1.20 against the dollar, recovering slightly from two-year lows hit earlier this week.

The British economy still faces serious challenges as it tackles high inflation, slowing growth and a cost of living crisis. 

Walid Koudmani, chief market analyst at broker XTB, wrote in a note to clients: “Make no mistake however, the [pound] remains severely weak due to the dire state of the UK economy which is underperforming its peers, [and] likely to enter into a recession while the Bank of England refuses to hike interest rates aggressively to deal with the escalating inflation.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is expected to resign as Conservative Party leader today, has been appointing new cabinet ministers.

Greg Clark was appointed as the new Levelling Up Secretary, replacing Michael Gove who was fired by Johnson on Wednesday, according to Downing Street’s Twitter account. James Cleverly was appointed as Secretary of State for Education, it added.

Johnson could remain as a caretaker Prime Minister until a new leader is picked, but critics worry that he may attempt to cling onto office. Many in his party want him to leave today and hand the reins over to another caretaker.

“I know that guy and I’m telling you – he doesn’t think it’s over, he’s thinking ‘there’s a war, weird shit happens in a war, play for time play for time, I can still get out of this, I got a mandate, members love me, get to September,’” Johnson’s former senior advisor Dominic Cummings said on Twitter.

The British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is cutting short her trip to a G20 meeting in Indonesia to return to London, Britain’s PA news agency reported on Thursday.

Truss is widely seen as one of the potential contenders for the leader of the Conservative Party.

The British Minister for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment Rebecca Pow has announced her resignation from her role in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government. 

In her letter posted on Twitter on Thursday, Pow said: “The Party and the good of the country has to come first and I fear under your leadership it has veered too far off course.” 

The British Trade Envoy to ASEAN Economic Community, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia Richard Graham also announced his resignation on Thursday via Twitter. 

“In order therefore to give myself the freedom to say what I feel with integrity, without compromising the loyalty I owe you as your Trade Envoy, I am therefore, with great regret resigning with immediate effect,” Graham said in his letter to the Prime Minister.

UK Conservative Member of Parliament Steve Baker told CNN on Thursday that it is the “right decision” for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to step down as the Conservative Party leader. 

When asked by CNN who should be the caretaker prime minister, Baker said, “It should be Dominic Raab, since he’s the deputy prime minister.”

“I am absolutely determined that we should not prolong this crisis. If it’s agreed within government that Boris Johnson should continue as caretaker, then that’s fine with me,” Baker told CNN. “Because we need to just end the crisis, get into a leadership contest, and start fresh in September.” 

Earlier on Thursday in an interview with the BBC, Baker said he was “seriously thinking” about standing in the contest for leader of the Conservative Party. 

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said there will be a “widespread sense of relief” as Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership comes to an end following the recent days of “chaos.”

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Sturgeon said: “There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end, though notion of Boris Johnson staying on as PM until autumn seems far from ideal, and surely not sustainable?”

Johnson is set to resign as Conservative Party leader on Thursday, but while he will announce his resignation, it is possible that he will remain in office until October, when the Conservative party meets for its annual conference.

“Boris Johnson was always manifestly unfit to be PM and the Tories should never have elected him leader or sustained him in office for as long as they have. But the problems run much deeper than one individual. The Westminster system is broken,” Sturgeon said. 

Sturgeon also said that for Scotland, “the democratic deficit inherent in Westminster government doesn’t get fixed with a change of PM,” adding that none of the Conservative Party politicians vying for leadership “would ever be elected in Scotland.” 

“Lastly, my differences with Boris Johnson are many and profound. But leadership is difficult and brings with it many stresses and strains, and so on a personal level I wish him and his family well,” she added. 

In order to outlast his predecessor Theresa May, Boris Johnson needs to spend another 28 days in the post as prime minister, according to a tally by PA Media.

Johnson is expected to resign today, possibly staying on as caretaker Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen. As of Thursday, he is on the 1,079th day of his premiership, May clocked up 1,106 days in the job until 2019.

If Johnson remains in office until August 4, he will have outrun May.

Thursday also marks when he outlasts Neville Chamberlain, who was Conservative prime minister between 1937 and 1940 and served for 1,078 days.

If Johnson makes it to the end of August, he would pass Theresa May on August 4 and Jim Callaghan, former Labour prime minister from 1976 to 1979, on August 22.

Here are the six prime ministers, with the shortest time in office since 1900, that Johnson has overtaken:

Andrew Bonar Law (211 days in 1922-23)

Alec Douglas-Home (364 days in 1963-64)

Anthony Eden (644 days in 1955-57)

Henry Campbell-Bannerman (852 days in 1905-08)

Gordon Brown (1,049 days in 2007-10)

Neville Chamberlain (1,078 days in 1937-40)

At the House of Commons on Thursday, a Cabinet Office minister assured lawmakers that civil servants are carrying on the work of government after dozens of ministers resigned over the past three days.

“We await the Prime Minister’s statement that the house should be reassured that the government continues to function. in the meantime, any necessary ministerial vacancies can and will be filled with other secretaries of state (who) can make decisions if necessary,” Michael Ellis said.

“I hate to break it to the minister, but we don’t have a functioning government,” deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party Angela Rayner replied.

“But the chaos of the last three days is more than just petty Tory infighting – these actions … have serious consequences for the running of our country in the middle of the deepest cost of living crisis of a generation, with families unable to make ends meet, a dangerous war in Europe threatening our borders and a possible trade crisis in Northern Ireland – Britain has no functioning government.”

There is a growing sense in Westminster that despite his wish to remain in office until a new leader is found, Boris Johnson’s MPs will demand he leaves Downing Street today.

Given the fallout from the past few days, with minister after minister resigning but Johnson refusing to do the same, it’s becoming hard to see how he can command authority over a government, even as a caretaker.

The current deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, would be an obvious choice under normal circumstances, but his association with Johnson might make it hard for MPs to swallow.

That said, cooler Conservative heads are urging their nervous colleagues to let Johnson stay in post for a caretaker period, so as not to give any future leadership candidate a head start. 

Conservative lawmakers and officials might breathe a sigh of relief if Boris Johnson resigns later this morning.

However, there are immediate concerns for those who desire the top job, before the leadership contest even kicks off.

Johnson will leave a badly divided party behind for whoever inherits the crown.

The Prime Minister himself – his conduct, his judgment and whether or not he deserved his party’s support – has been in itself one of the major dividing issues.

Then there are also the ideological divisions in the party, which have been exacerbated by years of arguments over Brexit and personal liberty during the pandemic.

Despite the Brexit vote taking place over six years ago, there are still major disagreements about what relationship should have with Europe, ranging from rejoining aspects of the EU to open hostility over international treaties.

Johnson’s successor will inherit this mess 12 years after the party took power in 2010. The country is facing a cost of living crisis and the party’s approval ratings have been tanking for months.

As attractive as it might sound to be Britain’s leader (and there are plenty of people ready to throw their hats in the ring), it’s going to be hard to step out of the shadow of the most famous Prime Minister to take office since Winston Churchill.

Caroline Johnson and Luke Hall, deputy chairs of the Conservative Party, and Rob Butler, a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Foreign Office, announced their resignations on Thursday. 

In her letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted on Twitter, Caroline Johnson said “it is with great sadness, however, that I recognize that over time the cumulative effect of your errors and judgment and domestic actions have squandered the goodwill of our great Party, Conservative colleagues, and many of my constituents.”

Hall in a letter to the prime minister said that “I had taken the view that there must be parliamentary oversight of the inevitable leadership contest. However, there are others who can provide that. The current situation is clearly untenable.”  

Butler also shared his resignation letter to the prime minister on Twitter, saying: “Loyalty is rightly highly regarded in politics; we succeed as a team. But I can no longer reconcile loyalty to you as Prime Minister.”

A total of 58 ministers and other lawmakers have resigned from the government.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on whether Queen Elizabeth II has had any communication with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday morning, Britain’s PA news agency reported.  

The Queen is at Windsor Castle and the Court Circular recorded that she held her weekly audience by telephone with Johnson on Wednesday evening, according to the PA.  

While Boris Johnson will announce his resignation, it is possible that he will remain in office until October, when the Conservative party meets for its annual conference.

Conventionally, when a Conservative leader resigns, they give the party time to hold a thorough leadership contest.

It is hard to predict how long this contest will take. When former Prime Minister David Cameron resigned in 2016, the process lasted just a few weeks as candidate after candidate pulled out, leaving Theresa May unopposed.

When Johnson himself ran in 2019, he went through several rounds of voting with his MPs, before being put to a final-two with the party membership. He defeated the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt in the final round. Hunt is expected to run for the leadership again.

While Johnson’s plan might be to stay on, given the near-collapse of his government, it is also possible that his MPs will demand an alternative interim leader.

Keir Starmer, the opposition Labour Party leader, responded to reports that UK Boris Johnson will resign as Conservative Party leader, calling it “good news.”

“He was always unfit for office,” Starmer said in a statement shared on Twitter. “He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale. And all those who have been complicit should be utterly ashamed.”

 “They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound. Twelve years of economic stagnation. Twelve years of declining public services. Twelve years of empty promises,” the opposition leader said on Twitter. 

“Enough is enough. We don’t need to change the Tory at the top — we need a proper change of government. We need a fresh start for Britain,” he went on to say

Boris Johnson’s government has been plagued by a series of scandals, from accusations of his disregard for rules and revelations of illegal lockdown-breaking parties held in Downing Street, to allegations of impropriety and abuse by Conservative lawmakers.

Here’s a look at some of the more notable scandals of his government, which have included furore over a flat refurbishment, prorogation of Parliament and parties held at Downing Street in defiance of coronavirus lockdowns.

Read the full story here:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks at Downing Street in London, Britain July 6, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

Related article Boris Johnson's tenure has been defined by scandal. Here are some of the biggest ones

A Downing Street spokesperson told CNN on Thursday that “the Prime Minister will make a statement to the country today.”

Earlier on Thursday, the British national broadcaster BBC reported that Boris Johnson is to resign as Conservative Party leader today. 

PA Media earlier reported, citing a Downing Street source, that Johnson has spoken to Conservative Party 1922 Committee chairman Graham Brady and agreed to stand down, with a new leader set to be in place by the party conference in October.

Boris Johnson is to resign as Conservative Party leader, the BBC has reported.

The newly-appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi urged Boris Johnson to resign on Thursday, saying in a letter posted on social media that at Downing Street on Wednesday night, he made it clear that he thought the Prime Minister should leave.

“Prime Minister, you know in your heart what the right thing to do is, and go now,” Zahawi said in the letter on Thursday.

“Yesterday, I made clear to the Prime Minister alongside my colleagues in No10 that there was only one direction where this was going, and that he should leave with dignity. Out of respect, and in the hopes that he would listen to an old friend of 30 years, I kept this counsel private,” Zahawi said.

“I am heartbroken that he hasn’t listened and that he is now undermining the incredible achievements of this government at this late hour.”

Zahawi was appointed on Tuesday evening, following the resignation of Rishi Sunak.

Michelle Donelan, who was only appointed as education secretary on Tuesday, has resigned from the post.

In her resignation letter to Boris Johnson, shared on Twitter Thursday, Donelan said she could “see no way that you can continue in post, but without a formal mechanism to remove you it seems that the only way that this is only possible is for those of us who remain in cabinet to force your hand.”

After Sajid Javid resigned from the role of education secretary on Tuesday, Johnson gave Donelan the position in a cabinet reshuffle.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under increasing pressure from his own Conservative party to resign. Under the UK political system, between elections, only Conservative members of Parliament have the power to remove a sitting Conservative prime minister.

Here’s how things could play out in the next hours or days:   

If Boris Johnson refuses to quit, can he be pushed out by a vote of no confidence from Conservative party lawmakers?

As party rules stand right now, no. He survived a confidence vote on June 6, which should mean he cannot face another confidence vote for a year. But lawmakers who want to get rid of him have raised the possibility of changing the rules.

Even if they don’t go through the formal process of voting no confidence in Johnson, he may be doomed. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May survived a confidence vote against her leadership in December 2018 – by a bigger margin than Johnson got in June –and was still out of office by the following summer. 

Does a Johnson resignation trigger a general election?

No. It starts the Conservative Party process for choosing a new leader of the party. UK Prime Ministers are not directly elected by the people; Johnson is prime minister because he is the head of the largest party in the House of Commons. The Conservatives will still be the largest party even if Johnson quits or is dumped, so the new head of the party will become prime minister. 

How is the new Conservative Party leader chosen? 

Leadership candidates need the support of at least eight lawmakers. If there are more than two candidates, Conservative party lawmakers hold round after round of votes to whittle the number of leadership candidates down to two. Then Conservative party members nationwide vote (by mail!) between the two finalists. The winner becomes leader of the party – and prime minister.

Who is prime minister while all this happens? 

Boris Johnson. He’ll remain in office as caretaker prime minister until his replacement is chosen.

Then he submits his resignation to the Queen, in person. The Palace will announce officially that Queen Elizabeth II has accepted Johnson’s resignation, and will say who she has invited to become prime minister to replace him. (This is a formality; she will choose the leader of the Conservative Party.)

Does the new prime minister have to call a general election?

No. The United Kingdom isn’t scheduled to have another general election until December 2024. The new prime minister could choose to ask Parliament to vote for an early election, but isn’t required to do so.

Boris Johnson was rocked by more resignations on Thursday morning as a growing number of ruling Conservative Party lawmakers attempt to force the UK Prime Minister out of 10 Downing Street.

Here are the latest resignations:

Brandon Lewis: UK’s Northern Ireland Secretary became the fourth cabinet member to leave their post. In Brandon Lewis’s letter to the Prime Minister, he said a “decent and responsible government relies on honesty, integrity, and mutual respect – it is a matter of profound personal regret that I must leave government as I no longer believe those values are being upheld.”

Helen Whately: In her resignation letter, UK’s Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury said she had argued for Johnson to continue in recent months, but “there are only so many times you can apologize and move on.”

Damian Hinds: UK’s Security Minister Damian Hinds announced on Thursday that he has resigned from his role in Johnson’s government. “It shouldn’t take the resignation of dozens of colleagues, but for our country, and trust in our democracy, we must have a change of leadership,” he tweeted, attaching his resignation letter in the post. 

George Freeman: He resigned from his post as UK’s Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, according to UK’s national press agency, PA Media, on Thursday.

In his resignation letter to Johnson, he said “the chaos in your Cabinet & No10 this month is destroying our credibility.”

Guy Opperman: The British junior minister who served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, resigned on Thursday. “I have given you ample opportunity to show real change,” Opperman said in his resignation letter addressed to Johnson. “Sadly, recent events have shown clearly that government simply cannot function with you in charge.” 

Chris Philp: He resigned from his role as UK’s Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, saying: “given events over the past few weeks and months I, therefore, think that you should resign as Prime Minister and it follows that I cannot serve in your Government any longer.”

James Cartlidge: The junior minister, who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice, became the 53rd member of the government to resign.

 “I felt duty-bound to remain in the post given the very challenging circumstances facing the criminal courts. I took the view there had to be some semblance of government in this crucial arm of our constitutions. But the position is clearly untenable,” he said in his resignation letter shared Thursday.

Boris Johnson’s scandal-ravaged premiership was dangling by a thread on Thursday 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.

The United Kingdom woke on Thursday morning to more than 50 members of government leaving their posts, including several cabinet ministers.

The previous day, Johnson began by 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.”

Read the full story here:

Boris Johnson, UK prime minister, departs 10 Downing Street to attend a weekly questions and answers session in Parliament in London, UK, on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Boris Johnson is digging in as UK prime minister, after the resignation of two of the most senior members of his government brought his premiership to the brink on another febrile day in Westminster. Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Related article Boris Johnson clings to his premiership after dozens of British lawmakers resign and urge him to quit