After leading the charge to avert a “Brexit” and losing that fight on Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced his resignation.
“I think the country requires fresh leadership,” Cameron said Friday morning in front of the official residence of the first minister at 10 Downing Street in Westminster, London.
“I will do everything I can as prime minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, but I do not think it will be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination,” he added.
Cameron said that while he does not have a timetable yet, he aims to have a new prime minister in place by the start of the Conservative Party conference in October.
The United Kingdom voted to leave the 28-nation European Union on Thursday. The official call was made after 6 a.m. local time Friday morning, with the “Leave” side passing the 16.8 million votes needed to win, representing more than 50 percent of the total vote. Global markets took a major hit after in response to the news of a “Brexit,” and the British pound dropped to a three-decade low.
Before the 2015 election, as a way to quell dissent on immigration and put a stop to the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party, Cameron promised a referendum on U.K. membership in the EU should his Conservative Party win a majority. His party pulled a surprise victory, and Cameron earned himself a second term.
Cameron, who followed through on his referendum promise and led the push for the U.K. remain in the EU, had previously said he would remain as prime minister regardless of the result of the referendum.
But, despite a letter signed by more than 80 Tory members of Parliament calling on Cameron to remain in his post, many political figures began putting pressure on Cameron to resign as more than half the voters turned against him.
About an hour earlier Friday morning, UKIP Party Nigel Farage made a statement on the victory for his party.
“We need a Brexit government,” he told reporters, and called for June 23 to become a national holiday called “Independence Day.”
Hours earlier as the referendum results began showing “Leave” pulling away, Farage said that the vote represents “curtains” for Cameron.
When asked by a reporter if Cameron should resign, said “I jolly well hope so.”
Early Friday, a White House official said President Obama had been briefed on the results of the U.K. referendum. The official also said the president is expected to speak with Cameron over the course of the next day.
Before visiting the U.K. in April, Obama urged British voters to reject the “Brexit” in an op-ed he wrote for the Telegraph newspaper.
Former London Mayor Boris Johnson, who campaigned for the U.K. to leave the EU, is reportedly the leading candidate to replace Cameron.
