Prime minister Boris Johnson has resigned, finally conceding in the face of immense pressure from his own party.
Delivering a speech outside Downing Street on Thursday afternoon, Johnson said: “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.”
He said he had appointed his new cabinet to serve with him until a new leader is in place.
He added: “And to that new leader, I say, whoever he or she may be, I will give you as much support as I can. And to you, the British public, I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed and I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world – but them’s the breaks.”
His departure makes him the fourth shortest-lived PM since the war, with his tenure just under a month shorter than Theresa May – who he replaced as leader.
Despite a defiant performance at Prime Minister’s Questions, an avalanche of resignations forced the issue.
