Defiant Boris Johnson finally announces resignation as Prime Minister as he addresses the nation

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A defiant Boris Johnson has finally announced his resignation as Prime Minister. In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, the embattled PM said he will step down as Conservative leader once his replacement has been found.

Mr Johnson's leadership has been hanging in the balance in recent days following a string of resignations from Cabinet ministers. Pressure on the PM ramped up over his handling of the row involving his former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

His support collapsed further as dozens of his own MPs also announced their departures from government and party posts this week. Despite the exodus and a delegation of Cabinet ministers telling him he should go on Wednesday, Mr Johnson initially ignored the warnings and remained defiant.

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However, he eventually caved into the pressure today and announced his departure from Number 10 after the new Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi told the PM he should “leave with dignity” and “go now”. In an address outside No 10 this lunchtime, Mr Johnson said it had been an "immense privilege" to serve as Prime Minister.

He said “the process of choosing a new leader should begin now”, and that he will continue to serve until his successor is in place, expected to be by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.

Mr Johnson thanked voters who secured the Conservative majority in 2019, and said he had fought over the past few days to continue in his post “because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you”.

He also touched on how he tried to tell party colleagues he didn't want to give up his job, explaining that he had tried to persuade his Cabinet it would be “eccentric” to