British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned. He has tendered his resignation as the head of the Conservative Party, opening the position for a new Tory leader, and therefore a new Prime Minister.
His resignation comes after a flood of departures within his own government. Johnson is expected to stay on as Prime Minister until the autumn while a new Party leader is chosen.
Here’s a summary of the key points of Johnson’s speech: :
- Johnson said it was “clearly now the will of the parliamentary party” for there to be a new PM
- The timetable for choosing a new PM will be announced next week
- He said he waited so long to make the decision as he had been keen to deliver on the voters’ mandate in person, saying he felt it was his duty and obligation to do what he had promised
- He said he was immensely proud of his achievements, including getting Brexit done, getting the UK through the pandemic and leading the West in standing up to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
- He said the UK must “keep levelling up”, adding doing so would make the country the most prosperous in Europe
- Johnson said he tried to persuade colleagues it would be “eccentric” to change government when we have such a mandate, but regrets he was not successful in those arguments
- He said “at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful, when the herd moves, it moves”
- He said he wanted to let the public know “how sad I was to give up the best job in the world” but “them’s the breaks”
- He thanked his wife Carrie, his children, the NHS , armed forces and Downing Street staff
