British Prime Minister Johnson's cabinet has been in dissolution for days. Now he draws conclusions. British media reports that he is stepping down as Tory leader. By autumn at the latest, his days at 10 Downing Street will be numbered.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to step down as Tory leader. The BBC reports, citing government circles. He would soon lose his position as head of government. Johnson's Downing Street office has announced a speech by the Prime Minister. He will address the nation later in the day.
Johnson intends to remain in office until a successor is elected in the fall, reports Sky News, citing government circles.
The move follows a severe government crisis in London, which worsened this morning with the resignation of Education Secretary Michelle Donelan after just two days in office. Johnson had shown himself combative on Wednesday and refused to resign - but his early departure from the top government was increasingly considered inevitable.
Even Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, who was appointed to his post on Tuesday, publicly called on Johnson to resign. "Prime Minister, in your heart you know what is right. Go now," Zahawi wrote in a tweet. With Donelan and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis taking the number of cabinet members who have resigned to five. Other Tory MPs resigned from government posts.
Johnson and his government have come under massive criticism over the past few months as a result of a whole series of scandals. In addition to a donation affair, scandals surrounding sexual assaults by party colleagues and parties at the seat of government during the corona lockdown weighed particularly heavily.
