Boris Johnson resigns as PM, political drama ends in Britain

Boris Johnson resigned as leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, paving the way for selecting a new prime minister after dozens of ministers left his government in a heated 48-hour political drama.

“It is the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party, and therefore a new Prime Minister,” Mr Johnson said outside 10 Downing Street.

Mr Johnson, 58, said he would stay as Prime Minister until a replacement is found.

He had fought hard against a Cabinet revolt. He said he was “sad… to be giving up the best job in the world”, justifying fighting on in the final hours to deliver the mandate he won in a Brexitdominated general election in December 2019.

“And let me say now, to the people of Ukraine, that I know that we in the U.K. will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes,” he added in his six-minute address.

Mr Johnson’s few remaining aides in the Tory party stood by his wife, Carrie, over their daughter, Romy.

The BBC and others reported that the Conservative leadership election would be held in the summer. The winner would replace Mr Johnson at the party’s annual convention in early October. Defense Minister Ben Wallace and Indian-origin Rishi Sunak, whose departure as finance minister sparked a cabinet exodus, were among the early pioneers to succeed Mr Johnson, according to a YouGov poll of Conservative Party members.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, another potential contender, said Mr Johnson had “made the right decision” as she cut short a trip to Indonesia for a G-20 meeting. “We need calmness and unity now and to keep governing while a new leader is found,” she tweeted.

Mr Johnson won in 2019 with a resolution to “get Brexit done”, following Britain’s shock referendum decision three years ago. But for many, the populist, anti-traditional leader had ousted his welcome.