After losing the support of his ministry and party and with the nation at the mercy of an ineffective administration, Boris Johnson resigned as prime minister of the United Kingdom on Thursday night, although he vowed to continue serving until a successor was chosen.
After 48 hours of convulsive political theater that saw more than 60 front-benchers leave, his cabinet go into open revolt, and competitors proclaim their intentions to run for president live on television, Mr. Johnson announced his resignation.
In a short lunchtime address to the nation, Mr Johnson said: “To the British public, there will be many people relieved and quite a few disappointed and I want you to know how sad I am to give up the best job in the world – them’s the breaks.’’
When it became evident he had almost no support, Mr. Johnson—who on Wednesday night had threatened to "dip hands in blood" to get rid of him—was forced out. His support was limited to less than 65 of the 360 Tory MPs, making his administration impossible to maintain.
Because of the tense situation, the ruling Tories want to replace Mr. Johnson immediately and name a caretaker prime minister until the next three months when the succession will be decided.
This is due to the large number of open cabinet positions and the lack of interest in Mr. Johnson, 58, as a candidate. Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, would probably assume command in that situation.
However, Mr. Johnson declared he would stay in office as prime minister until a replacement was found. If he leaves 10 Downing Street this month, he will fall short of matching the three years and 11 days of his predecessor Theresa May.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi and his predecessor Rishi Sunak, former health secretary Sajid Javid, Trade Minister Penny Mourdant, and Attorney-General Suella Braverman, who announced her intentions on television, are among the candidates for the position. Ms. Truss intended to leave Indonesia early in order to travel back to London after the G20 foreign ministers conference.
Mr. Johnson claimed that in order to fulfill the 2019 election mandate, he had fought valiantly over the past few days to maintain his position as prime minister. I thought it was my responsibility, duty, and obligation to you,' he continued, "to continue to do what was promised in 2019."
His accomplishments included repairing ties with Europe, restoring British laws, implementing the world's quickest vaccination deployment and the quickest end to the coronavirus shutdown, and opposing Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine.
Johnson claimed that despite "months of sledging" and the state of the economy, he sought to convince his parliamentary colleagues that the Tory party was only a few points behind in the polls but ultimately had to accept defeat.
The instinct is strong and the herd moves when it moves, he observed, adding, "I regret it is painful not to see through so many ideas and projects myself. However, I have seen at Westminster the instinct is tremendous.
The repeated lies and scandals that have engulfed the party over the past 12 months have incensed Conservative MPs, from the dishonest actions of Deputy Chief Whip Christopher Pincher to the Partygate drinking incident during the national Covid-19 lockdown and the illegal lobbying of former Minister Owen Paterson.
The numerous accounts of what transpired that were provided by 10 Downing Street were disproven on each occasion.
Keir Starmer, the head of Labour, stated that Mr. Johnson ought to have quit long ago.
He was never suited for office. He has committed widespread deceit, scandal, and fraud, according to Sir Keir. And everyone who participated in the crime should feel completely embarrassed.