"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 assembled media outside 10 Downing Street early on Thursday 7 July. Johnson said he had agree with the leadership that the election process should start now and that a timetable would be announced next week.
But Johnson said that he would remain in place until a new leader has been appointed. However, many of his former colleagues in government who had resigned during the last 48 hours disagree and want Johnson out of no.10 as soon as possible. In that case he would be replaced by deputy prime minister Dominic Raab.
“My friends, in politics, no one is remotely indispensable, Our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times,” said Johnson. He pledged to support the new leader as much as he can. "I want you to know how am sad to be giving up the best job in the world", Johnson added. “But them’s the breaks.”
53 resignations in a few days
Johnson was in a position that had become untenable since the defection of a very large number of people within his own political party. On Tuesday night, health minister Sajid Javid and chancellor Rishi Sunak walked out the door and resigned. Nadhim Zahawi, a Conservative Party member appointed as finance minister on Tuesday, asked the prime minister to leave Downing Street immediately on Thursday.
On Thursday morning, four new ministers also resigned from the government. Helen Whately, secretary of state for the treasury, Brandon Lewis, minister for Northern Ireland, Damian Hinds, minister for security and borders and George Freeman, under secretary of state for science.
In all, in the last few days, Johnson has had 53 letters of resignation on his desk from ministers, secretaries of state and parliamentary assistants.
We've been through Covid-19, we've come out of containment and we've faced Putin
Johnson highlighted his government's achievements such as Brexit. "I am immensely proud of the achievements of this government,” he said, citing getting Brexit done and “reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws.” Johnson also said that his government had been “leading the west in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.” Addressing the people in Ukraine, he said that the UK “will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes.”
Taking over from Theresa May--who resigned on 7 June 2019--Johnson had been leader of the Conservative Party since 23 July 2019 and was appointed prime minister the following day.
This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.