LONDON: Boris Johnson resigned on Thursday as lea­der of Britain’s Conser­va­tive party, triggering a race to succeed him as prime min­ister after a frenzied 48 hours which saw dozens desert his scandal-hit government.

Johnson acknowledged it was “clearly the will of the parliamentary Conser­vative party that there should be a new leader of that party, and therefore a new prime minister”.

In a speech outside 10 Downing Street, he said he would stay on until his successor is found but faced calls to leave immediately and for an acting leader to be appointed.

Conservative John Major, who was prime minister from 1990 to 1997, said Johnson’s extended tenure — and the powers that still go with it — was “unwise and may be unsustainable”.

The leadership election will take place in the coming months. The victor will replace Johnson by the party’s annual conference in early October.

But polling suggested most Britons favour his immediate exit, amid claims that Johnson is only hanging on to enjoy a wedding party at his government-funded country retreat.

Johnson’s tumultuous three years in office were defined by Brexit, the Covid pandemic and non-stop controversy about his reputation for mendacity.

He said he was “sad... to be giving up the best job in the world”, justifying his fight to stay on to deliver the mandate he won in a Brexit-dominated general election in December 2019.

In the six-minute address, watched by his few remaining Tory allies and his wife Carrie, he promised support for Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.

Johnson reiterated his backing in a call afterwards to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Downing Street said. Zelensky said he and Ukraine would be sad to see him go, praising his “personal leadership” and “charisma”.

Defence minister Ben Wallace and Rishi Sunak, whose departure as finance minister Tuesday sparked the cabinet exodus, were among the early frontrunners, a YouGov survey of Tory members suggested.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, another potential contender, said Johnson had “made the right decision” as she cut short a trip to Indonesia for a G20 meeting.

“We need calmness and unity now and to keep governing while a new leader is found,” she tweeted.

Even while eyeing the exit, Johnson sought to steady the ship, making several appointments to replace departed cabinet members. They included Greg Clark, an arch “remainer” opposed to Britain’s divorce from the European Union, which Johnson had championed.

The inexperienced Shailesh Vara was put in charge of Northern Ireland, with the government locked in battle with Brussels over post-Brexit trading rules for the tense territory.

Convening the new-look cabinet after his resignation speech, Johnson confirmed his lame-duck status by saying “major fiscal decisions should be left for the next prime minister”, according to Downing Street.

As late as Wednesday night, Johnson had been defiantly clinging on to power despite a wave of more than 50 government resignations.

He sacked minister Michael Gove, with a Downing Street source describing Johnson’s former Brexit right-hand-man as a “snake” in the media.

But the departure early Thursday of education minister Michelle Donelan and a plea to quit from finance minister Nadhim Zahawi, who have only in their jobs for two days, tipped the balance.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2022