BORIS Johnson has today told the nation he is resigning as prime minister and clearing the stage for a new Tory leader by the autumn.
In an address outside No10, the defeated PM announced his “painful” decision to quit and conceded: “Them’s the breaks.”
Two years and 348 days since he first entered No10 in 2019, the PM today called The Queen to tell her he planned to stand down.
In front of a packed Downing Street he thanked his supporters and the millions who voted for him but said: “My friends, in politics, no one is remotely indispensable.”
He said he was “immensely proud of the achievements of this government” such as Brexit and the vaccine rollout.
Carrie Johnson held their daughter Romy as she gathered in Downing St with the PM’s loyalists.
He fired the starting gun on a Conservative leadership race that will be launched next week and bitterly fought throughout the summer.
But some Tory MPs are demanding Mr Johnson bows out now and hand over to a caretaker PM while a new leader is elected.
Mr Johnson’s government has utterly imploded with 55 resignations and junior ministers refusing to fill the vacant jobs.
Sir Keir Starmer has promised to table a vote of no confidence if Mr Johnson does not leave immediately.
On a dramatic day in Westminster
- Mr Johnson made new Cabinet appointments to fill the slew of vacancies
- Around 55 Tory MPs resigned has now quit as government ministers or aides
- The PM phoned the Queen to tell her he planned to quit
- Suella Braverman became the first Tory to announce a leadership run
- Brexiteer Steve Baker also said he might put his name forward
- Defence Secretary Ben Wallace topped a Tory members poll as the preferred choice
- Leadership contender Liz Truss flew back from the G7 in Bali
As he prepared to dig in for three months, Mr Johnson announced Greg Clark would replace sacked Michael Gove as Levelling Up Minister.
James Cleverley was made Education Secretary after Michelle Donelan resigned this morning after just 36 hours in the job.
New Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi published a letter telling the PM it’s time to go.
It came after seven ministers quit before breakfast, meaning the overall number of resignations topped 50.
A race to replace Mr Johnson as Tory leader and British PM will now begin.
Big Conservative hitters like Rishi Sunak, Nadhim Zahawi, Liz Truss, Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt are all expected to have a tilt.
This morning Attorney General Suella Braverman announced live on air she was not resigning – but wanted to be the next leader.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is the favourite among Tory members, according to a new poll.
Mr Johnson has been reeling from the Chris Pincher groping scandal first revealed by Trending In The News last Thursday.
The crisis climaxed in the past 24 hours when Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid both quit the Cabinet and called for him to go.
It fired the starting gun on a wave of ministerial resignations that has so far swelled to around 40 Tories.
In an assassination attempt with echoes of Thatcher’s removal, Cabinet members yesterday saw the PM individually to demand he quits.
