UK PM Boris Johnson agrees to stand down as Tory leader
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign as the leader of Conservative Party, his office said on Thursday, thereby putting an end to political mayhem in UK that had effectively paralyzed the government. An official in Downing Street office has confirmed that the prime minister would announce his resignation later.
A Conservative leadership contest will be scheduled for this summer and a new prime minister will take office in time for October’s party conference. Until then, Boris Johnson will continue as the UK Prime Minister.
His resignation brings an end to unprecedented standoff after a series of cabinet ministers urged him to resign and more than 50 ministers resigned after a string of mishandled scandals in Johnson’s office.
Two former ministers said it was not possible for Mr. Johnson to stay in office until the autumn. One said, “He needs to be gone by tonight. Raab should take over.” Another said, “He needs to hand in the seals of office today and go, so we can have a caretaker PM.”
Meanwhile, Caroline Johnson and Luke Hall, deputy chairs of the Conservative Party, and Rob Butler, a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Foreign Office have also announced their resignations. In her letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted on Twitter, Caroline Johnson said “it is with great sadness, however, that I recognize that over time the cumulative effect of your errors and judgment and domestic actions have squandered the goodwill of our great Party, Conservative colleagues, and many of my constituents.”
Keir Starmer, the opposition Labour Party leader, has responded to the news of Johnson’s resignation as a “good news”.
The Conservatives have overseen 12 years of economic stagnation, declining public services and empty promises.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 7, 2022
We don’t need to change the Tory at the top – we need a proper change of government.
We need a fresh start for Britain. pic.twitter.com/uMxRTomXX9
“He was always unfit for office,” Starmer said in statement shared on Twitter. “He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale. And all those who have been complicit should be utterly ashamed.”
