“The process of choosing this new leader should start now,” he added, saying the timetable would be announced next week. However, Johnson does not intend to leave office immediately. “I have today appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until there is a new leader,” he said, in a televised speech outside 10 Downing Street. The appointment of new ministers means the government can continue to operate as it prepares to leave. Johnson spoke of his efforts to remain leader and how “painful” it is for him to step down, but did not address the scandals that have proven his political downfall. “Over the past few days, I have tried to convince my colleagues that it would be crazy to change governments when we have so much to offer … and when the economic landscape is so difficult domestically and internationally,” Johnson said. “I regret that I was not successful in these arguments, and of course, it is painful, not being able to see through so many ideas and projects myself,” he said, adding that he was proud that “Brexit is done” and “the West is leading to resist Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.” Johnson continued to address voters directly and expressed his regret at stepping down after nearly three years in the role. “To you, the British public: I know there will be many people who will be relieved and, perhaps, quite a few disappointed,” he said. “And I want you to know how sad I am to leave the best job in the world, but these are the breaks.” Johnson in recent months has been mired in a series of scandals that have forced even his staunchest supporters to abandon him. Nearly 60 government officials — including five ministers — have resigned since Tuesday, furious over the mishandling of the resignation of Johnson’s former deputy chief of staff, Chris Pincher, who was accused of groping two men last week. Johnson initially tried to ride out the crisis — despite an unprecedented exodus of middle-ranking ministers from the government, a blow at Prime Minister’s Questions and a bruised appearance before a committee of senior MPs in Parliament. On Wednesday, he still insisted he was not going to resign. But Johnson finally gave in Thursday after some of his staunchest allies told him the game was up. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Johnson had made the “right decision” to resign. “We need calm and unity now and continue to rule until a new leader is found,” he added. Greg Clark, the UK’s newly appointed Secretary of State for Uplift, Housing and Communities, said he had a “duty to ensure the country has a functioning government”. Opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer said it was “good news for the country” that Johnson had decided to step down, adding that it “should have happened a long time ago”. “He was always unfit for office. He was responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale,” Starmer said on Twitter. The opposition leader also had scathing words for the Conservatives. “They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound. Twelve years of economic stagnation. Twelve years of declining public service. Twelve years of empty promises,” Starmer said. “Enough is enough. We don’t need to change the Tories at the top — we need a proper change of government. We need a new start for Britain.”
“Unnecessary Damage”
While Johnson has announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, he is likely to remain prime minister for a few weeks or even months. Conventionally, when a Conservative leader steps down, it gives the party time to hold a thorough leadership contest, in which Conservative lawmakers and then national party members vote. But some said Johnson should leave office sooner. “We now need a new leader as soon as possible,” Business and Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said on Twitter. “Someone who can rebuild trust, heal the country and put in place a new, sensible and consistent economic approach to help families,” he added. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called for the leadership issue to be resolved. “Will there be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the past few days (indeed months) will be over, although the idea of Boris Johnson remaining Prime Minister until the autumn seems far from ideal and certainly not sustainable?” Sturgeon said in a series of tweets. Conservative MP Steve Baker told CNN the party must “move quickly into a leadership contest”. Baker said Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab should be interim prime minister, but that Johnson could also continue in office. “I am absolutely determined that we must not prolong this crisis. If it is agreed within the government that Boris Johnson should continue as a civil servant then that is fine with me,” Baker told CNN. “Because we just have to end the crisis, enter a leadership contest and start anew in September.” Former British prime minister John Major said it would be “abnormal and perhaps unsustainable” for Johnson to remain in the prime minister’s office for a long period of time while a new Conservative leader is chosen.
Barrage of criticism
Johnson’s departure will mark a marked fall for a prime minister once seen as having political superpowers, with an appeal that cut across traditional party lines. He won a landslide victory in December 2019 on the promise of securing a Brexit deal and leading the UK to a bright future outside the European Union. But his premiership fell apart in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In recent months, the prime minister has faced a barrage of criticism from all sides over his behavior and that of some members of his government, including illegal Covid-19 lockdown-breaking parties thrown into his Downing Street offices for which he was fined him and others. . Several other scandals have also hit his place at the polls. These include accusations he misused donor money to pay for the renovation of his Downing Street home and ordering MPs to vote in a way that would protect a colleague who had broken lobbying rules. Last month, he survived a vote of confidence by his own party members, but the final number of MPs who rebelled against him was higher than his supporters expected: 41% of his parliamentary party refused to support him . He suffered another blow late last month when his party lost two by-elections in a single night, raising fresh questions about his leadership. His reputation was also shaken by the resignation of his second ethics adviser in less than two years. CNN’s Lauren Kent and Sugam Pokharel contributed to this report.
