Scandal ravaged Boris Johnson has confirmed he will step down as British Prime Minister after being abandoned by ministers and most of his Conservative MPs.
because of the inevitable, as more than 50 ministers resign and MPs said he should go, an isolated and impotent Johnson spoke outside Downing Street to confirm he would resign.
The Indo Daily: Bye Bye Boris… Who wants to be Ireland’s next British Prime Minister?
“The process of electing that new leader should begin now. And today I have appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will until a new leader is appointed,” Johnson said during a speech outside Downing Street.
He added: “It is now clear the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and thus a new prime minister.
“And I agree with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of electing that new leader must begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.”
Johnson said it was an “immense privilege” to serve as Prime Minister and thanked the British public as he concluded his speech.
He said: “I especially want to thank you, the British public, for the tremendous privilege you have given me and I want you to know that from now until the new Prime Minister is appointed, your interests will be served and the government of the country will continue.
“Being Prime Minister is an education in itself. I have traveled to every part of the UK and beyond the beauty of our natural world I have found so many people who possess such boundless British originality and are so willing to turn old problems into new ways. that I know that even if things seem dark now, our future together is golden.
“Thank you all so much. Thank you.
“I know there will be a lot of people who will be relieved and maybe a lot of people who will be disappointed too. And I want you to know how sad it is to give up the best job in the world.”
“But those are the breaks.”
After fighting for his job for days, the scandal-ridden Johnson had been abandoned by nearly a handful of allies after the latest in a series of scandals broke their willingness to support him.
Conservatives will now have to elect a new leader, a process that could take weeks or months.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has emerged as the early favorite among Conservative party members to become the next leader, according to a YouGov poll shown Thursday, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to resign.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said there will be a “widespread sense of relief” as the prime minister prepares to step down.
However, Ms Sturgeon questioned whether it would be “sustainable” for Johnson to stay in the role.
She wrote on Twitter: “There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of recent days (months indeed) is coming to an end, although the idea of Boris Johnson staying on as prime minister until the fall seems far from ideal, and certainly untenable?”
She added that the prime minister was “manifestly unfit” to be prime minister, claiming that this week’s events show the “Westminster system is broken”.
Johnson’s decision to step down as Conservative Party leader followed another chaotic morning, as recently-appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi told Boris Johnson this morning: “You must do the right thing and go now” as his refusal to accept that he has lost the confidence of Conservatives MPs have sparked another wave of ministerial resignations.
The cabinet minister, who was appointed to the position only this week, tweeted an image of a letter with the caption; Prime Minister: This is not sustainable and it will only get worse: for you, for the Conservative Party and especially for the whole country. You have to do the right thing and go now.”
Meanwhile, Brandon Lewis previously quit his cabinet post as Secretary of Northern Ireland, telling the British Prime Minister that the government requires “honesty, integrity and mutual respect” and that it is “beyond the point of no return”.
His departure was soon followed by a slew of other ministers as the number of MPs who have left government and party posts since Tuesday night has surpassed 50.
Helen Whately stepped down as Chancellor of the Exchequer, telling Johnson: “I have argued many times over the past few months that you should carry on as prime minister, but there are only so many times when you can apologize and move on. That point has been reached.”
Damian Hinds resigned as Security Secretary, telling Johnson there has been a “severe erosion” of standards in public life and “trust in our democracy and public administration”.
He said on Twitter: “It should not cost the resignation of dozens of colleagues, but for our country and confidence in our democracy we need a change of leadership.”
Science Secretary George Freeman wrote to the Prime Minister to say he no longer has confidence in his leadership.
In his letter of resignation, he told Mr Johnson “the chaos in your cabinet and No. 10 this month is destroying our credibility” and “it can’t go on”.
Guy Opperman left his role as Pensions Minister, telling Johnson that “recent events have clearly shown that the government simply cannot function while you are in charge”.
Technology Minister Chris Phiilp also resigned this morning, saying the prime minister must resign as the confidence of the public and parliament is clearly gone, and given the importance of integrity in public life.
James Cartlidge has also stepped down as court minister, telling Boris Johnson: “The position is clearly untenable.”
And also education secretary Michelle Donelan resigned.
Mr Lewis’s departure meant four cabinet ministers have resigned – Simon Hart resigned as Secretary of Wales on Wednesday evening, while Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid resign on Tuesday, sparking the leadership crisis.
Michael Gove was fired as community secretary, with 10 sources describing him as a “snake” who had briefed on Mr Johnson.
Michael Gove was fired by Boris Johnson. Photo: Reuters
The outright refusal to respond to his own ministers’ pleas to stop was a big difference from Margaret Thatcher, who agreed to resign after cabinet pressure in 1990.
The standoff was unlike anything in modern British political history, with Theresa May and Tony Blair agreeing to leave office after mounting criticism within their party over the decades.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor, and Chris Heaton-Harris, the Chief Whip, were among the cabinet figures who told Mr Johnson he had lost his party’s support. More than half a dozen cabinet members made that argument.
Simon Hart, the secretary of Wales, and Brandon Lewis, the secretary of Northern Ireland, were both ready to resign but were reluctant to confront Mr Johnson. They were both on discharge last night.
In total, 42 Tory MPs have resigned from official positions in the past 48 hours. That included 17 ministers who resigned, 14 yesterday.
Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, told Mr Johnson yesterday that a second vote on his leadership could take place next week, with a new 1922 director to be voted on Monday and free to change leadership rules on Tuesday. modify.
Not everyone in the cabinet turned against Johnson yesterday. Both Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Brexit minister, and Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary – two of Johnson’s most loyal supporters – rushed to No. 10 to urge him to stay.
Figures close to cabinet ministers Liz Truss and Ben Wallace, who were on the trip, declined to say whether they personally urged Mr Johnson to go.
Mr Zahawi also did not stop last night, despite the Prime Minister’s warning about the dangerous political position. He was back at the Treasury, working with Number 10 on a talk about a “new economic plan,” which includes tax cuts.
Mr Gove has told Mr Johnson to resign. He held a five-minute face-to-face meeting with the prime minister yesterday morning, where he urged him to quit on his own terms before it was too late.
Boris Johnson’s ally Priti Patel told him it was time to go. Photo: Dominic Lipinskic
Downing Street critics pointed the finger at Mr Gove after four figures from his department resigned yesterday afternoon, fueling calls for Mr Johnson to leave.
An ally of Mr Gove denied he was plotting, saying he would not be “100 percent” a Tory leader if there were a match.
During the day, a succession of ministers and parliamentary private secretaries resigned, many tweeting letters outraged by the prime minister.
Mr Johnson also had to put up with two Tory MPs who called on him to go during the Prime Minister’s questions, before sitting with his arms folded when Sajid Javid, his former health minister who retired on Tuesday, gave a speech in the House of Commons in which he called for cabinet acting.
But during a two-hour whim before the liaison committee, Mr Johnson declared he was having a “great” week and insisted that his administration continue with “ever-increasing energy”.
There were signs last night that the mass resignations were making the government difficult, with planned scrutiny of a piece of legislation canceling MPs because the minister in question had resigned.