British PM Boris Johnson to quit as Conservative leader today: reports

BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson, whose government has been rocked by a series of resignations from ministers, was set to resign as the Conservative leader on Thursday (7), BBC reported.

He though will continue as the prime minister until autumn, it was told.

Conservative member of parliament Tobias Ellwood reacted to the news saying he was glad that the beleaguered prime minister "recognised the damage that was being done not just to the party brand but also our international stock". He told the Today Programme, BBC added.

Ellwood also said that the party now has a "massive amount of regrouping to do".

PM Johnson to make statement to country today: 10 Downing Street

Johnson was set to publicly announce his resignation as the party leader later in the day. A spokesperson at 10 Downing Street confirmed this to the BBC saying: "The prime minister will make a statement to the country today."

Johnson took over as the prime minister on July 24, 2019, when he succeeded Theresa May.

A source at No 10 source told Sky News that Johnson had spoken to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, and agreed to step down, with a new Tory face set to be in place by the Conservative Party's conference in October.

Labour leader welcomes Johnson's decision to step down

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised Johnson's intention to quit as the Conservative leader, and subsequently as the prime minister, saying he should have gone "long ago", BBC added.

The PM's impending departure is "good news" for the country, Starmer said, adding that Britain needs a "fresh start".

"The Tory party have inflicted chaos upon the country during the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. And they cannot now pretend they are the ones to sort it out," he said.

"They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound."

Is it feasible for Johnson to continue as PM yet?

Questions, however, have started making rounds on whether it would be feasible for Johnson to continue as the premier till October.

Chris Mason, the BBC's political editors, said, "He’s done it. Boris Johnson is resigning. But wait: he will still be prime minister, he says, until the autumn.

There is always a prime minister. The job he is resigning from is Conservative Party leader. A leadership contest for a new Tory leader will now begin.

When that leader is elected - by around 100,000-ish Conservative Party members - Boris Johnson will tender his resignation to the Queen and she will summon the leader of the party that can assemble a majority in the Commons to ask them to form a government.

That will be the new Conservative leader; they will become prime minister. That’s how Downing Street are talking through their anticipated chain of events.

But: is it sustainable for him to carry on until the autumn? His supporters will argue that offers some semblance of continuity and stability at a time where there’s not much of either.

Critics, such as Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon, are already arguing it isn’t sustainable, given the huge number of vacancies in government."

Former science minister says Johnson should apologise to Queen

Johnson's former science minister George Freeman, who announced his resignation on Thursday morning, said the prime minister must apologise to the Queen and urged her to immediately call for a caretaker prime minister.