London: Boris Johnson will step down as British Prime Minister after just three years, following the dramatic resignation of more than 50 members of his government that has made his position untenable.
Johnson is expected to remain as interim prime minister for at least the next two months while the leadership election takes place, Downing Street (AEST) officials said Thursday evening.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson off Downing Street. Credit: Bloomberg
A source close to Johnson told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age: “He is resigning so that a new leader can be chosen in time for the party conference.”
His pending resignation, first reported by the BBC, marks the end of a political career in which he led the success of the Vote Leave campaign in 2016 which led to the UK leaving the European Union in 2016. , but also won a historic 80-seat majority in a 2019 general election victory.
Johnson’s final blow to the leadership came in London on Thursday morning, when Nadhim Zahawi, who had become chancellor just 36 hours earlier, said he had told the prime minister to “leave now” and told him to warn that he was undermining his record by refusing to do so. resign.
Moments earlier, Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland’s secretary and once a staunch supporter of Johnson, had said he was resigning and that the government was no longer run based on “honesty, integrity and mutual respect”.
The Johnson administration has been embroiled in scandals for much of the past nine months, including the so-called partygate affair that sparked a metropolitan police investigation of 12 social gatherings that took place at 10 Downing between May 2020 and April 2021 while the country was under strict coronavirus containment measures.
Johnson won a censure vote by 63 votes last month, but party leaders believe the majority would be wiped out if another one were made now.
More to come