Boris Johnson is set to resign as Prime Minister.
Finally bowing to pressure after a deluge of ministerial resignations, Mr Johnson, who has been Prime Minister since July 2019, decided on Thursday that he was standing down, according to reports. He is expected to deliver a statement on Thursday morning.
Mr Johnson has spoken to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady and agreed to stand down, with a new Tory leader set to be in place by the party conference in October, a No 10 source said.
Mr Johnson's government was rocked by a spate of resignations since Tuesday (July 5) evening. Health Secretary Sajid Javid was the first to go, stating that he could no longer support the Prime Minister, and was quickly followed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Their resignations came after Mr Johnson's handling of the row over former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher was roundly criticised. The Prime Minister had to apologise for appointing Mr Pincher to a government role despite being aware of a previous complaint made against him.
Mr Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club, but Mr Johnson was told about allegations against him as far back as 2019.
The Prime Minister was urged to quit by departing and newly-appointed government figures. Nadhim Zahawi, who was appointed Chancellor on Tuesday evening following Mr Sunak's resignation, has told Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “do the right thing and go now”.
In a tweet accompanying a letter, Mr Zahawi said: “Prime Minister: this is not sustainable and it will only get worse: for you, for the Conservative Party and most importantly of all the country. You must do the right thing and go now.”
