https://arab.news/gbu7d
- Eight ministers, two secretaries of state resigned a few hours earlier
- Conservatives will now have to elect a new leader, which could take two months
ISLAMABAD: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he was resigning from office on Thursday, after a revolt within the Conservative Party and desertion from ministers who said he is no longer fit to remain in office.
With eight ministers, including two secretaries of state, resigning in the last two hours, an isolated and powerless Johnson was set to bow to the inevitable and declare his resignation.
After days of battling for his job, Johnson had been abandoned by all but a handful of allies after the latest in a series of scandals broke their willingness to support him.
In June 2020, he was fined for breaking lockdown rules by attending a gathering on his birthday. During the first lockdown in the UK, he also apologized for going to a “bring your booze” party in the Downing Street garden.
However, his botched handling of a British MP who was accused of groping two men in a drunken state is what triggered resignations from government ministers and allies.
“I am sad to be giving up the best job in the world,” Johnson said in a press statement from 10 Downing Street in London.
The Conservatives will now have to elect a new leader, a process that could take about two months. The British prime minister said he would give as much support as he can to his successor.
“To that new leader, I say I will give you as much support as I can,” said Johnson.
Johnson was seen as a contemporary British politician, much opposed to the conventional Conservatives. His achievements include winning two terms as mayor of London, normally a Labour stronghold, and helped convince millions to back Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum.
He became prime minister in July 2019 without winning an election but went on to register a landslide victory four months later.