BORIS Johnson has reshuffled his cabinet before announcing his resignation amid mounting calls for him to leave office immediately.
the prime minister will stop if Tory leader after ministers and MPs made it clear that his position was untenable, as support has crumbled around him in recent days.
Downing Street has appointed Greg Clark as the new Leveling Up secretary, replacing Michael Gove who was fired by Johnson on Wednesday, while James Cleverly has been appointed Education Secretary.
Robert Buckland has been appointed Secretary of State for Wales following the resignation of Simon Hart.
Kit Malthouse becomes the new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the highest-ranking cabinet minister after the Prime Minister.
Johnson will remain prime minister until there is a successor, expected by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.
the prime minister will “make a statement to the country” at 12:30 p.m. today Downing Street said a spokesperson.
It came after almost 60 Tory MPs – including a slew of ministers today – resigned in protest at the Prime Minister’s battered leadership, which has been Chris Pincher scandal.
Read our live blog from Boris Johnson below for the latest up-to-date news…
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Small group of MPs outside
Not many MPs have gathered outside to show their support for Boris Johnson.
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Boris speech a stone’s throw away
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The stage is out
The stage is placed outside NO 10.
Boris will soon begin to speak.
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Boris will be making his statement soon
Not long after, Boris will make his resignation statement.
He is expected to start his speech at 12:30 p.m.
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Andrew Stephenson appointed
Andrew Stephenson has been appointed Minister without Portfolio.
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Shailesh Vara appointed
Shailesh Vara has been appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
He replaces Brandon Lewis, who resigned today.
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‘It was like a witch hunt in Salem’
Boris Johnson’s allies have claimed he was swept from office by a “hysteria” that gripped the party.
No 10 insiders told Mail+: “The Tory party has gone totally schizo. Every once in a while they get a mania and that’s what happened here.
“It’s like a witch hunt in Salem or when hysteria sweeps through a girls’ school. Read herd-thinking stuff.
“In the end, the boss had no choice but to fold the tent.”
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Robert Buckland appointed
Robert Buckland has been appointed Secretary of State for Wales.
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Boris will make a statement at 12:30 pm
Just 30 minutes left before Boris Johnson is expected to make his statement.
He will be out of NO 10 at 12:30 PM.
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Douglas Ross says Boris ‘finally made the right decision’
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Kit Malthouse appointed Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster
Kit Malthouse becomes Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, the highest-ranking minister in cabinet, after the Prime Minister.
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James Slim appointed Education Secretary
James Cleverly has been appointed Secretary of State for Education.
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Greg Clark Is Hired As Secretary For Leveling Up
NO 10 confirms that Greg Clark has been appointed secretary for Leveling Up, replacing Michael Gove, after he was fired by Boris yesterday.
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Keir Starmer reaction
Keir Starmer demands that Boris go today.
The Labor leader threatens a vote of no confidence if the Tories do not immediately oust Boris.
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Boris makes ‘polite phone call’
This morning he gave Her Majesty a “polite phone call” to let her know that he intended to stop.
He doesn’t have to go to the palace before actually resigning.
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New cabinet to be announced soon
According to reports, a new cabinet will be announced soon.
Boris was expected to fill the positions.
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Kwasi Kwarteng calls on Boris to leave earlier
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has proposed to Boris Johnson to leave earlier and does not want the prime minister to stay until the autumn.
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Boris Johnson ‘plans to fill government vacancies’
Boris Johnson plans to “fill government vacancies” until he leaves in October.
“The prime minister will soon be making new appointments to his ministerial team,” said a number 10 source.
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Ben Wallace favorite to Boris. to replace
Snap YouGov poll of Conservative members shows Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is the favorite to replace Boris Johnson.
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Nicola Sturgeon gives her opinion
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there will be “a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of recent days is coming to an end”.
But the SNP leader questions Johnson’s sustainability until the fall.
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Boris calls queen to tell her he will STOP in a statement at noon
Boris Johnson told the Queen today that he plans to resign after a brutal cabinet grab and a spate of Tory resignations imploded his premiership.
the prime minister will tell the nation in a speech that he is quitting and that there will be a new Tory leader at the party conference in October.
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Dominic Cummings has urged conservatives to remove him as prime minister today
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What is the Chris Pincher scandal?
Boris Johnson came under fire for hiring shamed Tory MP Chris Pincher, despite joking about his reputation.
the prime minister it was alleged that he had joked about the MP and joked that all the “sex pests” in the party supported him as he ran for the leader.
it comes after No 10 said the PM was unaware of “baseless allegations” before hiring Pincher as Deputy Chief Whip in February.
But insiders claim that Mr Johnson told assistants in 2020: “He’s handy, that’s a problem. Pincher by name, pincher by nature.”
ex-caregiver Dominic Cummings claimed the prime minister said the same thing to him.
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1922 Vice-Chairman of the Committee Says Raab Should Be Concierge Prime Minister
Nus Ghani, said Dominic Raab should immediately take over from Boris Johnson on an interim basis.
She told BBC’s Woman’s Hour that he could do that this afternoon.
Johnson steps down as party leader today, but hopes to remain prime minister until autumn
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Boris will stay on post until October
Mr Johnson will announce his intention to step down in a speech to the nation today.
The Sun understands that the prime minister will remain in office until October, after which he will make an “orderly transfer”.
But some Tory MPs say they want BoJo out sooner.
They believe that Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab should move to No. 10 until a new Conservative leader is elected.
A source said: “Boris Johnson has spoken with Graham Brady and agreed to step down as party leader so that there can be a new leader by party conference. He will remain prime minister until then.”