Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement in front of 10 Downing Street in central London on 7 July 2022. Photo: AFP/Daniel Leal
UK prime minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said he will be stepping down as the Conservative Party leader, following mounting pressure for him to resign.
His decision to step down comes after an influx of resignations from members and assistants in his cabinet.
Johnson said he will stay on as prime minister for the time being.
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Addressing the nation from the steps of 10 Downing Street, Johnson said it is clear a new leader should take the helm, “and therefore a new prime minister”.
He said he was sad to walk away from “the best job in the world”.
As of Thursday, 40 ministers and three cabinet members tendered their resignations, with more set to follow in due course.
Minister of Parliament George Freeman – who stepped down as the science minister on Thursday – said Johnson “has finally done the decent thing”.
Freeman added: “[Johnson] needs to hand in the seals of office, apologise to Her Majesty, allow her to appoint a caretaker under whom ministers can serve, so the Conservative Party can choose a new leader properly.”
Meanwhile, UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace said MPs “have an obligation to keep this country safe, no matter who is prime minister”.
Taking to the electronic highway, Wallace said: “The [Conservative] Party has a mechanism to change leaders and that is the mechanism which I advise colleagues to use.
“In the meantime, the public would not forgive us if we left these Offices of State empty.”
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Johnson has been under scrutiny for a variety of reasons, including his handling of an incident involving Tory deputy chief whip Chris Pincher who “drank far too much”.
Pincher is said to have “embarrassed himself” at a club in London after being accused of groping two men.
Johnson initially said he was not aware of the allegations when he appointed Pincher in February.
However, it later came to light that Johnson had been aware of the complaints – he was even informed of the incident in person.
Additional nails in Johnson’s coffin include the Partygate scandal in 2020 when the prime minister broke lockdown rules and hosted a gathering for his birthday in June.
The matter was brought into the spotlight by senior civil servant Sue Gray who reported on the “failures of leadership and judgment in No 10 (Downing Street) and the Cabinet Office”.
UK residents are also up in arms over the recent rise in living costs and taxes as the country is coming to grips with an inflation rate of 9.1%.
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