Boris Johnson resigned Thursday as Conservative Party party leader and Prime Minister in the UK after the latest ethics scandal around his leadership led some 50 senior lawmakers to quit the government over two days. A week ago he won the confidence vote, it wasn’t enough. He has become an unpopular figure for many voters . His resignation will trigger an internal election to pick a new leader of the Conservative Party, who will also be the next prime minister. “I’ve appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place,” he said. That process could take at least six weeks or longer. The timetable will be announced next week. Johnson, 58, managed to remain in power for almost three years. He succeeded in leading Britain out of the European Union and was credited with rolling out one of the world’s most successful mass vaccination campaigns to combat COVID-19. On Thursday, Johnson did not become emotional. Instead, he blamed his party for his downfall. „And my friends, in politics, no one is remotely indispensable,” Johnson said.
Some lawmakers and party grandees warned that Johnson was damaging the party brand and that he was a danger to stay in office through the summer. The race to succeed Johnson started Thursday. A poll by YouGov on Thursday found that along with Wallace, top contenders included Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt, former chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. There were reactions to Johnson resignation, in the world. Russia was one of the first countries to react. President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Johnson “really does not like us – and we [do not like] him either”. The EU’s executive in Brussels declined to comment on Johnson’s departure from Downing Street but the Commission nonetheless stressed that “from our point of view the political developments do not change our position on the protocol or the way on which we work with our British counterparts.”
