Boris Johnson has announced his resignation as prime minister after less than three years in Number 10, saying: “No one in politics is remotely indispensable.”
Speaking from Downing Street, he thanked the millions of people who voted Conservative at the last election, and said the reason he fought so long to remain in office was because “I thought it was my job, my duty and my obligation to you”.
He said he had tried to persuade his cabinet it would be “eccentric” to change prime minister now, but added: “I regret not to have been successful in those arguments.”
And he confirmed the process to appoint a new leader would begin, with a timetable set out next week.
Politics live: Boris Johnson makes resignation statement to country
Yet it is still not clear exactly when Mr Johnson will leave Number 10 for the final time.
Earlier, a No 10 source said the PM had spoken to the chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, and agreed for a new Tory leader to be in place by the party’s conference in October.
Boris Johnson appointed new cabinet moments before he resigned as prime minister
Sir Keir Starmer and opposition party leaders to call a vote of no confidence if Boris Johnson tries to ‘cling on’ as ‘caretaker’ PM
New Education Secretary Michelle Donelan quits as Nadhim Zahawi tells Boris Johnson ‘go now’
But several of his MPs want him to leave immediately, saying after so many resignations from his government, he did not have the authority to lead.
Mr Johnson said he was “immensely proud of the achievements of this government”, pointing towards finalising Brexit, its handling of the pandemic, and the roll our of vaccines, adding it was “painful not to see it through”.
He also pledged to the people of Ukraine: “I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes.”
Addressing the British public, he added: “I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, but them’s the breaks.”
There had been intense pressure on the PM to quit after more than 50 resignations from the government payroll, and waves of backbenchers appealing for him to go.
The mass rebellion began on Tuesday after Downing Street admitted the PM knew about allegations of inappropriate behaviour against disgraced former Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher in 2019, but still appointed him in February and sent ministers out to defend him.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were the first to resign on Tuesday night, but over the past 48 hours, MPs from all levels of government piled in their letters and demands for him to go.
Mr Johnson initially insisted he was staying in post, with a source inside Number 10 saying just this morning that he planned to “fight on”.
But after new education secretary, Michelle Donelan – who had only been in the post for 36 hours – resigned and his freshly appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi publicly called for his exit, Downing Street confirmed the PM would be resigning today.
