British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces resignation after mass exodus of ministers, staffers

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday outside Parliament, after a week of mass resignations of over 50 government ministers and staffers.

The embattled PM gave a speech on Thursday afternoon outside 10 Downing Street, telling the crowd he is stepping down from his position to make way for a new conservative leader. The announcement came after a week of 50 resignations from Johnson’s own party following a string of scandals involving Johnson over the last two years. 

“It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister,” Johnson told the crowd from behind the lectern. He continued, “I know there are many people who are relieved, and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.”

Johnson’s time in office since his election in 2019 has been mired in controversy. He was widely criticized after it was revealed he attended an in-person party during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. 

Additionally, he was blasted for aligning himself with an accused sexual abuser, Chris Pincher. Johnson also faced controversy after he allegedly refurbished his private apartment at Downing Street at a cost well over his annual £30,000 allotment for spending on his private quarters. It was later discovered he had taken money from a Lord Brownlow to cover the expenses and failed to disclose the donation to the Electoral Commission.

Johnson will likely not leave office immediately, as typically British Prime Ministers stay on until their successor takes over, but some in the Tory party are calling for Johnson to cease his PM duties immediately.

“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,” said former prime minister John Major.