British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Thursday he will resign his position as Conservative Party leader after a revolt from top members of the government.
The resignation comes after defying many calls for him to step down.
Johnson, who came into office in 2019, had overseen Britain’s exit from the European Union, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Johnson’s tenure faced and survived multiple scandals, but the most recent–the appointment of a politician accused of sexual misconduct–appears to have been the last.
“It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister,” Johnson said.
His resignation as leader of the Conservative Party goes into effect immediately but he said he will remain prime minister until the party chooses a replacement.
This post was produced and edited by Casey Kuhn, Julia Griffin, Kenichi Serino, and Dan Cooney.
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