Early Thursday morning there was breaking news from Downing Street in Great Britain. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is resigning.
Something happened overnight. As late as Wednesday, Johnson was promising to remain in his position, even though dozens in his conservative coalition had resigned.
The conservative resignations started Tuesday evening with two of Johnson’s cabinet exiting. Chancellor of the Exchequer (similar to the U.S. Treasury secretary) Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid resigned, according to media sources.
By midnight on Tuesday, the total number of resignations was 35, according to ITV’s Daniel Hewitt. If you add up all the resignations from the recent past, the total is 45 with one person fired.
But Johnson appeared to be a holdout. That is until Thursday morning. He is saying that he will remain at his post until a successor has been chosen. He has appointed a new Cabinet to serve the nation while he is in limbo.
The massive stream of resignations came after the latest ethics scandal focused on his leadership among conservatives.
Johnson had been holding on to his post saying that he had a “colossal mandate” from voters and he intended to move on with the business of government.
But he must have felt forced to give his position as Prime Minister up after the last two Cabinet members quit, they were his closest allies. Treasury Chief Nadhim Zahawi told him he should resign for the good of the country.
The Conservative Party will now hold an internal election so that they can choose a new leader to become the Prime Minister.
President Joe Biden had this to say about the transition:
“The United Kingdom and the United States are the closest of friends and Allies, and the special relationship between our people remains strong and enduring. I look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the government of the United Kingdom, as well as our Allies and partners around the world, on a range of important priorities. That includes maintaining a strong and united approach to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Putin’s brutal war on their democracy, and holding Russia accountable for its actions.”
