Boris Johnson, the prime minister who oversaw the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union and his country’s struggles with the coronavirus pandemic, has announced his resignation, having lost the support of top cabinet ministers.
“The process of choosing that new leader should begin now,” Johnson said on Thursday at the door of Number 10 Downing Street. “And today I have appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.”
He thanked his voters: “Thank you for that incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979.”
“And the reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019,” Johnson said.
Al Jazeera’s Paul Brennan, reporting from London, highlighted that Johnson offered no apology in his resignation speech.
“There is also no timetable for his departure. He says it will be announced next week, but we know from this morning that Boris Johnson is rather keen to stay on as a caretaker until autumn when a new leader from the Conservative Party should be in place in time for the annual Conservative Party conference,” he said.
In recent days, the 58-year-old had faced a huge internal revolt in his Conservative Party for appointing a politician accused of sexual assault as an MP.
He has also been heavily criticised for breaking lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, the chancellor and the health minister, quit citing the government’s lack of “integrity” and “competence”.
That set off a series of resignations, with several other top ministers either quitting or calling on Johnson to resign.
