Boris Johnson resigns, to stay as caretaker PM until October

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday announced his resignation as Conservative Party leader after he was abandoned by his close allies in the wake of a series of scandals that rocked his government, triggering a leadership election for a new Tory leader who will go on to become his successor.

Johnson, 58, said he will remain in charge at 10 Downing Street until the process of electing a new leader is completed - expected by the time of the Conservative Party conference scheduled for October.

He blamed the “herd instinct” of his party as he delivered his resignation speech on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street and expressed his sadness at giving up the “best job in the world.”

“I want you to know how

sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world,” Johnson said in his speech, marking an end to his three tumultuous years in power.

“It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be

a new leader of that party and therefore a new Prime Minister,” said Johnson, showing very little emotion as he read out his speech which lasted just over six minutes.

“I have agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week and I have today appointed a Cabinet to serve as I will until a new leader is in place,” he said.

The outgoing leader reiterated his “incredible mandate” at the 2019 general election, which was “the reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person”.

He added: “I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019.”

Referring to the high drama of the last few days, Johnson said he had tried to persuade his colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments with such a vast mandate and when the Tories are only a handful of points behind in the polls and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally.

He also highlighted some of his government’s achievements, including the fastest rollout in Europe of Covid vaccines.