Scandal-hit Boris Johnson announced on Thursday he was resigning as Britain`s prime minister, bowing to calls from ministerial colleagues and lawmakers in his Conservative Party. Embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson finally agreed to step down as the Conservative Party leader, ending an unprecedented political crisis and triggering an election for a Tory leader who will go on to become the new head of government.
“It is clearly the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party, and therefore a new prime minister,” Mr. Johnson said outside 10 Downing Street.
Mr.Johnson, 58, will remain in charge at 10 Downing Street until the process of electing a new leader is completed by the time of the Conservative Party conference, scheduled for October.
Johnson said he was “sad to be giving up the best job in the world,” but conceded that “no one is remotely indispensable” in politics.
The move came after days of high political drama, following which Johnson was abandoned by his newly-appointed ministers.
Mr. Johnson had been clinging on to power despite a wave of more than 50 government resignations, expressing defiance late Wednesday.
But Thursday’s departure of Education Minister Michelle Donelan and a plea to quit from Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, only in their jobs for two days, appeared to tip the balance along with warnings of a new no-confidence vote by Tory MPs.
Johnson’s downfall brings an end to his reputation as the “Teflon” prime minister. The 58-year-old former London mayor had become known for his ability to wriggle out of political controversies.
Last month, Johnson survived a vote of confidence triggered by his own MPs amid increasing dissatisfaction with his leadership. The secret ballot of Tory lawmakers saw some 211 MPs vote in favor of Johnson, while 148 voted against him.
The leadership election will take place over the summer and the winner will replace Mr. Johnson by the party’s annual conference in early October, the BBC and others reported.