NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday.
Scores of people, including his last two cabinet appointments, had called for him to step down amid ethics scandals, and dozens of ministers and officials in his conservative government resigned this week.
SOME OF THE MANY BORIS JOHNSON SCANDALS THAT HAVE ROCKED BRITAIN
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a speech at Lydd Airport, southeast England, Thursday, April 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool)
Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi – one of Johnson’s closest allies – told him to resign on Thursday for the good of the country, just two days after he was appointed by the prime minister.
“Prime Minister: this is not sustainable and will only get worse: for you, for the Conservative Party and most importantly for the whole country,” Zahawi said in a letter to Johnson. “You must do the right thing and leave now.”
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON FACES MULTIPLE RESIGNATIONS IN BLOW TO HIS LEADERSHIP
Media gather near 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday, July 7, 2022. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign, his office said Thursday, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future that has paralyzed Britain’s government. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Education Minister Michelle Donelan, who was also appointed on Tuesday following the resignation of her predecessor, announced her resignation on Thursday morning.
BRITISH CHANCELLOR RESIGNS IN PROTEST AGAINST BORIS JOHNSON, SAYS ‘WE CAN’T GO ON LIKE THIS’
Zahawi was also appointed after his predecessor resigned.
As recently as Wednesday, the Prime Minister was defiant, claiming he had a mandate from the voters.
A group of Johnson’s most trusted cabinet ministers visited him in his Downing Street office on Wednesday, telling him to stand down after losing the confidence of his party. But instead, Johnson chose to fight for his political career and fired one of his cabinet members, Michael Gove, British media reported.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2022/07/06: A protester holds a placard mocking the Conservative Party during the demonstration outside Parliament. Protesters against Boris Johnson gathered in Westminster as many ministers resigned from the Tory government and pressure on Johnson to resign. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Five cabinet ministers had quit by Thursday, and more than 50 officials have quit in the past two days since the latest scandal broke. Johnson has been accused of lying about being unaware of fumbling allegations against a man he appointed as a senior government minister.
Johnson’s most famous scandal, Partygate, undermined his credibility with voters during the coronavirus pandemic. Johnson was among party members who attended parties at 10 Downing Street and elsewhere as health restrictions banned gatherings of ordinary citizens.
“I just said to him, ‘Look, this is only when you leave now and this is how you leave,'” Bernard Jenkin, a senior Conservative MP, told the BBC he told Johnson on Wednesday. “You can go with some dignity, or you can be forced out like Donald Trump, clinging to power and pretending he won the election when he lost it.”
Weeks earlier, Johnson had narrowly survived a vote of no confidence by his own Conservative Party.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We have… passed the point of no return. I cannot sacrifice my personal integrity to defend things as they are now,” Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis said in his resignation letter on Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
Add Comment