Boris Johnson resigns, says process of selecting new leader begins now

BORIS JOHNSON TO RESIGN: REPORTS

“No one is remotely indispensable,” Johnson said in a speech outside 10 Downing Street on Thursday. “I regret to not be successful in arguments, and it’s painful not to see through so many ideas and projects.”

A timetable for selecting a new leader will be announced next week, Johnson said.

Johnson’s departure follows a reshuffle in leadership this week as high-ranking officials from Johnson’s Cabinet said they were resigning, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid.

Johnson has faced mounting pressure to resign in recent months, though he survived a no-confidence vote last month.

“Being prime minister is an education in itself — I’ve traveled to every part of U.K., and I’ve found so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways,” Johnson said. “Even if things can sometimes seem dark now, our future together is golden.”

Johnson is expected to remain installed as prime minister until a new leader is put into place. He also announced he has appointed a Cabinet to serve alongside him for the time being.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel appeared to take herself out of the running for leader, saying in a statement that “at this critical time,” her duty was to “protect our national security.”

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Johnson, a former mayor of London, became prime minister in 2019 and led the U.K. through Brexit after a 2016 referendum resulted in the country resolving to leave the European Union. More recently, he has overseen the U.K.’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin celebrated Johnson’s resignation, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov commenting, “He doesn’t like us, we don’t like him,” according to Reuters.