Prime Minister Boris Johnson will step down as leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday, the BBC reported as government departures surged. According to Downing Street, Mr Johnson will make a statement to the country later in the day.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will step down as leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday, the BBC reported as government departures surged. The Prime Minister will also make “a statement to the country later today”, a Downing Street spokesman said.
Boris Johnson could remain Prime Minister until autumn
According to the BBC, Boris Johnson will resign as leader of the Conservative Party but could remain Prime Minister until the fall, the time that a new leader is elected among the Conservatives. Opposition leader Keir Starmer said it was “good news” but that “we don’t need a change in the leadership of the Tories. We need real change of government”.
The announcement comes as nearly 60 departures have been announced in the government since Tuesday, including five ministers, an exodus of unprecedented speed in British political history. Discontent had been simmering for months, fueled by the scandal of illegal parties in Downing Street during the anti-Covid lockdown.
The resignations of Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid on Tuesday evening sounded the hallali for the Prime Minister, after a new sex scandal involving the deputy “whip” responsible for the discipline of Conservative MPs, whom Boris Johnson had named in February, “forgetting” past charges of the same type.