British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday evening, a day of drama triggered by Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid stepping down on Tuesday night. It was followed by over 50 ministers.
Addressing the nation, Johnson said he will serve as the PM until a new leader is appointed and added that he was immensely proud of his achievements. Speaking outside No. 10 Downing Street, Johnson said he was “immensely proud of the achievements of this government,” from Brexit to steering the country through the pandemic, and leading the West in standing up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Two lawmakers including Chris Skidmore submitted a letter of no confidence in the PM Johnson, who began his political career serving as a Member of Parliament from Henley and later Mayor of London from 2008-2016, had a term riddled with controversy.
In July 2019, Johnson insisted that Britain will leave the EU on October 31, with or without a deal. In August 2019, Johnson announced he will shut down Parliament until mid-October, giving opponents less time to thwart a no-deal Brexit.
In November 2019, the parliament is dissolved and early elections are set for mid-December as Johnson seeks a mandate for his Brexit strategy, which Johnson won with a 80-seat majority in the parliament in December 2019.
In November 2021, allegations surface that government officials attended parties in government offices during November and December 2020 in violation of COVID-19 lockdown rules. The scandal grows to reports of more than a dozen parties. Johnson denies the allegations, but opposition leaders criticize the government for breaking the law as people across the country made sacrifices to combat the pandemic.
In June 2022, Johnson won a vote of no-confidence with 211 Conservative MPs voting to back him. On June 30, Chris Pincher resigns as Conservative deputy chief whip amid allegations he assaulted two guests at a private members’ club in London. Previous sexual misconduct allegations emerge about Pincher. Johnson apologizes for his handling of the Pincher scandal and says he had forgotten about being told of the allegations.
