Boris Johnson resigns as party leader.
Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the Conservative party after a number of cabinet ministers told him he had lost the party’s support.
In a statement outside Downing Street, Johnson announced he would step down as party leader but said he planned to stay on as prime minister until the party chooses his successor.
The statement ends an extraordinary standoff between Johnson and cabinet ministers, including his new chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, who have been urging him to resign amid furor over the Chris Pincher affair and other scandals.
However, senior Tory MPs are opposed to the idea that Johnson should be allowed to stay in office for longer and they want to see an interim leader in place, such as Dominic Raab.
“It is clear that it is now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party to have a new party leader and therefore a new prime minister,” Johnson said in his resignation speech.
“I have agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the leader of our MPs, that the process of electing a new leader should start now and the timetable will be announced next week. And today I appointed a cabinet to serve, as he will do, until a new leader is elected”, he said.