London – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced his resignation.
JUST IN: 🇬🇧 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has officially resigned.pic.twitter.com/Q71IYZ5b7M
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) July 7, 2022
Addressing the public Thursday outside Downing Street, Johnson said that it is “clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and so a new prime minister.”
Despite narrowly winning a vote of no confidence in June of 2022, Johnson’s time as Prime Minister has been ridden with scandals including his handling of the pandemic, reports of wild parties during lockdown and a string of ethics allegations.
The final straw for many of his cabinet members was his handling of sexual misconduct allegations from Conservative lawmaker Chris Pincher.
50 members of Parliament quit in just 48 hours leaving Johnson isolated and defeated. This ultimately led to the announcement Thursday Morning.
Johnson wishes to remain in place until a new leader is selected by the Conservative Party, a process that is likely to take months. This statement is met with resistance by many including former PM John Major who has warned that it is “unwise, and may be unsustainable” to keep Johnson in office.
In his letter to Sir Graham Brady,Chairman of the 1922 Committee, John Major wrote:
‘The proposal for the Prime Minister to remain in office – for up to three months – having lost the support of his Cabinet, his Government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable.’
‘In such a circumstance the Prime Minister maintains the power of patronage and, of even greater concern, the power to make decisions which will affect the lives of those within all four nations of the United Kingdom and further afield.’
‘Some will argue that his new Cabinet will restrain him. I merely note that his previous Cabinet did not – or could not – do so.’
It is unclear who will take his place, however many are betting on Defense Secretary Ben Wallace as a top contender.
BREAKING: Sir John Major has written to Sir Graham Brady
"For the overall wellbeing of the country, Mr Johnson should not remain in Downing Street"
He says either Dominic Raab should become PM or Conservatives should remove the members' stage of the leadership ballot pic.twitter.com/3COyfvjsPz
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) July 7, 2022
