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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Thursday that he will resign as leader of the Conservative Party and step down as prime minister once a replacement is selected.
How it happened: Dozens of ministers in Johnson's government resigned over the past 24 hours as a cascade of scandals finally caught up to the prime minister. In remarks outside 10 Downing Street, Johnson said this was a "painful" moment, and noted that he'd fought hard to avoid it.
What he's saying: "It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader ... and therefore a new prime minister," Johnson said.
www.axios.com
How it happened: Dozens of ministers in Johnson's government resigned over the past 24 hours as a cascade of scandals finally caught up to the prime minister. In remarks outside 10 Downing Street, Johnson said this was a "painful" moment, and noted that he'd fought hard to avoid it.
What he's saying: "It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader ... and therefore a new prime minister," Johnson said.
- He thanked the voters who gave him a landslide general election victory in December 2019, and said he'd resisted the calls to resign because "I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019."
- Referring to the Conservative members of Parliament who turned against him he said, "The herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves."
- But Johnson said that no leader was indispensable, and "our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader." He promised to offer his successor his support.
Boris Johnson announces resignation: "When the herd moves, it moves"
"The herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves."
www.axios.com
