British PM Boris Johnson resigns as Conservative leader
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After clinging on to power for days in light of a massive wave of resignations, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned from his post as premier.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement at Downing Street in London, Britain, July 7, 2022 (Reuters)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped down from his post as the leader of the Conservative party, meaning that he would no longer be leading the United Kingdom.
Johnson's resignation came after a three-year-long tenure that was distinguished by the number of scandals it saw, as well as crises such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. He was constantly mired in controversies and that saw him revealed as untruthful to the public and even his allies.
The 58-year-old premier announced that he would step down after a tsunami of resignations from his government in protest of his leadership. He will, however, stay as prime minister until a replacement is found.
"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," Johnson said outside 10 Downing Street.
He said that the timetable for a Tory leadership race would be announced next week, while British media reported that the election would take place over the summer and the victor would take the reigns of the government by the Conservative Party's annual conference in October.
Johnson voiced "sadness" over his loss of the "best job in the world", during his resignation speech.
The opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer earlier welcomed Johnson's looming departure ahead of the announcement of the resignation, calling for "a proper change of government" and demanding a no-confidence vote in parliament, which could see the UK taken into a general election. He said this would be more preferable than Johnson "clinging on for months and months."
Johnson had been clinging on to power despite a wave of more than 50 government resignations, expressing defiance late Wednesday.
Earlier in February, Conservative members of the parliament, even loyalists, demanded that the PM be removed from his position if investigations reveal he committed a criminal offense. Johnson barely survived the no-confidence vote, and with the ongoing resignations, he appears to not stand another chance.
In addition to all the violations and provocations he committed, the latest revolt against Johnson comes in light of revelations about the prime minister's handling of sexual misconduct allegations against former Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher.
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