UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned as head of the Conservative Party, saying in an address to the nation that the process of choosing a new prime minister would begin immediately.
The move ends unprecedented political crisis that has roiled the United Kingdom which climaxed in a massive walk out of members of his cabinet
Two of Johnson’s top Cabinet ministers quit earlier this week, followed by more than 30 others who said they could no longer serve under his leadership and who urged him to step down.
In an address outside his office at 10 Downing St. in London, Johnson said, “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.”
Johnson said the process to select his successor would begin immediately and a timetable for the change in leadership would be announced next week.
He said it was “painful” for him to leave office but conceded he had failed to push back against an onslaught of opposition from his own party ministers urging him to resign.
Johnson said he tried to convince his colleagues over the past few days that it would be “eccentric” to change governments when his administration is delivering and his party is just a few points behind in the polls.
Johnson’s departure will end his three-year turn as the British leader.
Johnson’s hold on power has been weakening for months amid a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by Britain’s departure from the European Union, known as “Brexit,” which Johnson championed.
Even as he rebuffed calls to quit, his leadership was further shaken in recent days by the resignations of his Treasury chief, Rishi Sunak, and his Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
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