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Goodbye Boris. We’ll not Miss You
Finally, Boris Johnson quits Downing Street after less than three years in the job. He was forced to resign amid recent dramatic political events despite having won a huge majority in the 2019 general election. In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, the embattled Prime Minister said he will step down as Conservative leader once his replacement has been found.
Mr Johnson’s leadership has been hanging in the balance in recent days following a string of resignations from Cabinet ministers. Pressure on the PM ramped up over his handling of the row involving his former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
Boris Johnson’s support collapsed further as dozens of his own MPs also announced their departures from government and party posts this week. Despite the exodus and a delegation of Cabinet ministers telling him he should go on Wednesday, Mr Johnson initially ignored the warnings and remained defiant.
Now Boris Johnson intends to continue as prime minister until a new leader is in place. That means he would stay in office until the Conservatives choose a new leader, as his predecessors Theresa May and David Cameron did when they resigned.
In his resignation statement the Prime Minister said:
“And I’ve today appointed a Cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.”