Boris Johnson has spoken to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady and agreed to stand down, with a new Tory leader set to be in place by the party conference in October, a No 10 source said. A No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister will make a statement to the country today.”
The PM is said to be preparing his resignation letter announcing that he will step down as Prime Minister. It comes after he received a stack more resignation letters from ministers and members of his Cabinet this morning (Thursday).
Education Secretary Michelle Donelan resigned barely two days after being appointed the post, leaving no ministers in the Department for Education. Brandon Lewis quit his Cabinet post as Northern Ireland Secretary, telling the Prime Minister the Government requires “honesty, integrity and mutual respect” and it is “now past the point of no return”.
His departure was soon followed by a string of other ministers as the number of MPs quitting government and party posts since Tuesday evening topped 50. Helen Whately quit as a Treasury minister, telling Mr Johnson: “I have argued that you should continue as Prime Minister many times in recent months, but there are only so many times you can apologise and move on. That point has been reached.”
Damian Hinds resigned as security minister, telling Mr Johnson there has been a “serious erosion” in standards in public life and “faith in our democracy and public administration”.
He said on Twitter: “It shouldn’t take the resignation of dozens of colleagues, but for our country, and trust in our democracy, we must have a change of leadership.”
Science minister George Freeman wrote to the Prime Minister to say he no longer has confidence in his leadership.
In his resignation letter, he told Mr Johnson “the chaos in your Cabinet and No 10 this month is destroying our credibility” and “it can’t go on”.
Guy Opperman left his role as pensions minister, telling Mr Johnson that “recent events have shown clearly that the Government simply cannot function with you in charge”.
Courts minister James Cartlidge quit, saying “the position is clearly untenable”. Wales Office minister David Davies said he would not take a Cabinet role in place of his departed boss Simon Hart.
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