Boris Johnson Agrees To Step Down As UK Prime Minister, To Make A Statement Today: Reports
It was unclear till Thursday if Johnson would remain in office until the Conservative Party selects a new leader to succeed him as prime minister.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign, putting an end to an extraordinary political crisis over his future, according to British media, news agency Associated Press reported.
Johnson has resisted calls from his Cabinet to resign in the aftermath of ethical scandals. He caved when over 40 ministers deserted his government and ordered him to go.
It was unclear till Thursday if Johnson would remain in office until the Conservative Party selects a new leader to succeed him as prime minister.
Britain's Boris Johnson will "make a statement to the country", a Downing Street spokesman said, following reports he will resign as Conservative leader, triggering a party contest to replace him as prime minister, news agency AFP reported.
Nadhim Zahawi, the British Treasury head, called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign on Thursday, barely 36 hours after Johnson appointed him, while another newly appointed Cabinet minister resigned.
Johnson knew "the correct thing to do" was to "go now," according to Zahawi.
Zahawi was appointed late Tuesday to replace Rishi Sunak, who resigned after a string of ethical issues forced him to abandon Johnson.
Johnson has refused to retire, digging in his heels even as hundreds of officials have resigned and formerly close supporters have urged him to do so as yet another scandal has enveloped his leadership.
Some 40 junior government workers have also resigned in the midst of an uproar over Johnson's handling of sexual misconduct charges against a senior official, the latest in a long list of scandals that have made Conservative legislators uneasy.
“He’s breached the trust that was put in him. He needs to recognise that he no longer has the moral authority to lead. And for him, it’s over,” Scottish National Party leader Ian Blackford was quoted by AP in its report.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
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