Boris Johnson Expected To Announce Resignation As British Prime Minister
UPDATE (7.50pm): Boris John has officially resigned. He said the process of choosing the new leader begins now.
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The United Kingdom (UK) government has been hit by a mass exodus after over 50 members of parliament (MPs) resigned within 48 hours.
As a result, Boris Johnson is expected to announce his resignation as British prime minister on Thursday (7 Jul).
However, he intends to stay on as caretaker prime minister until October this year.
Latest scandal forced resignations from newly appointed ministers
On Thursday (7 Jul), multiple reports emerged that Mr Johnson is expected to announce his resignation as British prime minister.
This comes after a wave of resignations within the UK government. According to Sky News, 59 people have quit since Tuesday evening (5 Jul).
The BBC reports that this mass exodus was triggered by recent revelations of how the prime minister handled sexual misconduct allegations against his former deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher.
Downing Street initially denied that Mr Johnson was aware of any allegations against Mr Pincher.
However, it later emerged that he had received a personal briefing about a complaint of inappropriate behaviour in 2019.
Bloomberg notes that the changing messages made people question Mr Johnson’s honesty.
It also tipped many ministers over the edge, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reports.
Many of them started questioning the prime minister’s leadership and direction of the government.
One of them was newly appointed finance minister Nadhim Zahwai, who took to Twitter to urge Mr Johnson to step down.
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. pic.twitter.com/F2iKT1PhvC
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) July 7, 2022
In his tweet, he attached a statement that details the reasons behind his call for Mr Johnson’s resignation.
Mr Johnson aims to remain as a caretaker prime minister until October when a successor is selected.
Abandonment from his colleagues had led to Mr Johnson’s resignation
So many ministers calling for Mr Johnson’s resignation proves just how unhappy they are with his leadership.
When a new prime minister is appointed, let’s hope that he or she will be someone who executes their duties with integrity and that they will inspire others to follow, not quit.
What do you think of the news of Mr Johnson stepping down as the UK prime minister? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Featured image adapted from Number 10 on Flickr.
