Boris Johnson has formally announced his resignation amid increasing pressure to step down following a wave of scandals.
“In the past few weeks, I have been trying to convince my colleagues it would be eccentric to change governments when we have achieved so much,” Johnson said outside of No.10 Downing Street on Thursday morning. “I regret not to be successful in those arguments and, of course, it’s painful not to be able to see through those projects myself.”
Johnson’s resignation comes after more than 50 members of government left their posts. The former premier had stated just yesterday that he had no intentions of stepping down.
Johnson won a historic 80-seat majority in 2019. He vowed to remove the U.K. from the EU.
Last month, Johnson faced a no-confidence vote initiated by members of his Conservative Party. Johnson had lied about his attendance at several social gatherings during the country’s strict COVID-19 lockdown. He eventually took accountability and apologized. It seemed Johnson managed to escape the backlash, but another scandal quickly rocked him.
Conservative MP Chris Pincher was accused of sexual misconduct in 2019. He was allowed to continue in his role, Johnson initially claiming that he did not know about the allegations.
It recently came to light that Johnson was well aware of the scandal and even joked about the incident. However, the biggest hit for Johnson came this week after Sajid Javid announced his resignation as Health Secretary.
“It is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too,” his resignation letter reads in part.
Moments later, Conservative MP Rishi Sunak quit, tweeting: “The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”
Sunak is reportedly now in the race to become the country’s next leader.
