Conservative politicians in the UK have expressed concerns over Boris Johnson's decision to stay on as caretaker Prime Minister.
Look back on how countries around the world responded to the announcement.
Key events
Live updates
By Shiloh Payne
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By Shiloh Payne
From reporter to MP, mayor and finally PM
While he was always on the way to a political career, Boris Johnson started out as a reporter and rather enjoyed "being a leech and a parasite in the media world".
Yet his early successes as a correspondent were not enough to distract from his true ambition.
Eventually, Mr Johnson made the switch from reporter to politician, going on to have two stints in the British parliament over almost 20 years.
They bookended an eight-year run as mayor of London, a position that afforded him global notoriety and set him on a course to later lead the UK.
His political persona was something he continued to hone throughout his career, where his speeches dripped with bravado, bluster and wit.
Mr Johnson was eternally criticised for being scant on detail and light on work ethic, but his optimistic and jocular tone appealed to tens of millions of Brits.
Reporting by Bridget Brennan and Lucia Stein
By Shiloh Payne
Here's a quick recap of today's events so far
- Conservative party members have expressed concern that Boris Johnson wants to stay on as caretaker Prime Minister
- Conservative chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat has announced he will run for prime minister
- World leaders have offered mixed reactions to Mr Johnson's resignation
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the relationship between the two countries would not change
- Photos have offered a sneak peak into the moments after Mr Johnson's statement
By Shiloh Payne
Johnson not 'natural candidate' for caretaker PM role, expert says
Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, says many members of the public will want to see Boris Johnson "gone" straight away.
"You know, they don't want to see him hanging around like a bad smell in Downing Street," Professor Bale says.
He says the role of a caretaker is to "just keep the ship of state afloat".
"Boris Johnson doesn't strike me as a natural candidate for that kind of role."
By Shiloh Payne
White House reaffirms 'strong alliance' with UK after Johnson quits
The White House has reaffirmed Washington's "strong alliance" with the United Kingdom after Boris Johnson's resignation announcement.
During a briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States and Britain would continue to work together on a range of issues, including support for Ukraine against "Putin's brutal war".
In a statement, US President Joe Biden said he looked forward to further close cooperation with the British government, without mentioning Mr Johnson who resigned in the face of scandal.
The two countries have had historically close ties, including partnering in the US-led Iraq invasion that was roundly criticised.
By Shiloh Payne
Opposition: Johnson 'needs to go completely'
Opposition Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says he will call a parliamentary confidence vote if the Conservatives don't remove Boris Johnson at once.
"He needs to go completely, none of this nonsense about clinging on for few months," he says.
"He's inflicted lies, fraud and chaos in the country and we are stuck with a government which isn't functioning in the middle of a cost of living crisis, and all of those that have been propping him up should be utterly ashamed of themselves."
"We've had 12 years of a stagnant economy; 12 years of broken public services; 12 years of empty promises. Enough is enough."
By Shiloh Payne
Analysis: The Conservative party is left to clean up Johnson's mess
Here's the latest analysis from Europe bureau chief Steve Cannane:
As Boris Johnson announced he was leaving office, there was little sense of personal responsibility.
The man who won a thumping 80-seat majority in 2019 and self-combusted just 2.5 years later, said a "herd instinct" in his own party room led to him having to quit.
"When the herd moves, it moves," Johnson said.
He also described moves to replace him as "eccentric", implying his colleagues were out of their minds in wanting him gone.
Yet a poll released this week suggested a majority of Conservative voters and 69 per cent of all voters wanted Johnson to quit.
And then there was the luck excuse.
"Them's the breaks," Johnson said in his speech outside Downing Street, as if he was a victim of random acts of misfortune.
The truth is Johnson was very much the architect of his own demise.
You can continue reading Steve Cannane's analysis below.
By Shiloh Payne
Who will take over from Johnson?
A clear frontrunner to replace Boris Johnson is yet to emerge, but Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Ben Wallace are among the leading candidates to take over as UK prime minister.
By Shiloh Payne
Johnson's resignation 'won't change' Australia's relationship with UK
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he's confident Australia's relationship with the United Kingdom won't be affected by the resignation of Boris Johnson.
Mr Johnson approved a Free Trade deal with Australia and the AUKUS security deal which sees both nations sharing nuclear submarine technology.
Mr Albanese has told Channel Seven he is confident the next British PM will keep those deals in place.
"We have such close personal links, close defence ties, close business ties it's absolutely critical that continue i'm certain that it will," Mr Albanese said.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says Mr Johnson's resignation will not impact relations between the two nations.
"It doesn't change anything. This is the democratic process playing out in terms of a very close friend of Australia," Mr Marles says.
"But it wont change our relationship with Britain, it won't change AUKUS, it won't change what we are doing in terms of an Australia-UK trade agreement."
By Shiloh Payne
The series of political scandals that brought Johnson undone
Far from being defined by his policies, Boris Johnson's prime ministership has instead been mired in scandals.
Critics have accused Mr Johnson of cronyism and corruption, pointing to incidents like when WhatsApp messages revealed he had asked a Conservative Party donor for funds to refurbish his Downing Street residence.
The Conservative Party was fined 17,800 pounds ($31,317) after the Electoral Commission found it had failed to accurately declare all of Lord David Brownlow's donations towards the renovation.
Mr Johnson also stirred controversy when he asked the Queen to shut down parliament for five weeks at the height of a political crisis over the UK's decision to leave the EU. Critics said it was an attempt by the government to minimise parliament's opportunity to block a no-deal Brexit.
And then there was "party-gate", the term used to describe parties involving government MPs and staff that were held while COVID restrictions were in place across much of the country, which first prompted doubts about Mr Johnson's political survival.
You can continue reading this story from Bridget Brennan and Lucia Stein below.
By Shiloh Payne
Inside Downing Street after Johnson's resignation
Boris Johnson was comforted by his family and staff members after he gave his statement of resignation.
He also chaired a cabinet meeting and spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Here's a look at what it was like in Downing Street after Boris Johnson announced his resignation.
By Shiloh Payne
How does the UK appoint a new PM?
Unlike in Australian leadership spills, things don't move super quickly and a replacement for Boris Johnson will take some time to appoint.
Leadership candidates will come forward, with the endorsement of at least some of their colleagues, and a secret vote will be held among Conservative MPs to whittle down the field.
If only one person puts themselves forward, they become leader with no need for a vote from members.
But if there is a contest, the candidate with the fewest votes is removed and MPs will vote again, and so on, until only two candidates remain.
These two candidates are then put to a postal ballot of the wider Conservative Party membership.
Participants need to have been party members for more than three months.
When Mr Johnson won the leadership, he and Jeremy Hunt were the two left standing after the contest, with Mr Johnson gaining 66 per cent of the Conservative Party members' votes and being elected party leader.
By Shiloh Payne
ICYMI: Here's Boris Johnson's full resignation speech
The Prime Minister said it was painful "to not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects" and that he was sad to be giving up the top job.
Here's the speech in full:
By Shiloh Payne
Tom Tugendhat will run for next UK Prime Minister
British Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat said he is launching his leadership bid to serve as the next UK prime minister replacing Boris Johnson.
"I have served before — in the military, and now in Parliament. Now I hope to answer the call once again as prime minister," he said in an opinion piece in the Telegraph.
Mr Tugendhat said he is putting together a coalition of colleagues to bring "new energy and ideas to government and to bridge the Brexit divide that has dominated UK's recent history."
By Shiloh Payne
Was Hugh Grant responsible for the Benny Hill theme being played outside of Parliament?
The theme song toThe Benny Hill Show, Yakety Sax, was blasted outside of Parliament in Westminster yesterday and actor Hugh Grant may have had something to do with it.
As Boris Johnson made his announcement that he would resign, media swarmed outside of the Parliament building, and so did some demonstrators.
Acitivist Steve Bray was down there with a set of speakers, and appears to have taken a request from Grant.
Grant tweeted Mr Bray asking if he had "the Benny Hill music" to play.
A short time later, Mr Bray shared a video that shows he blasted the song at the College Green.
The music could also be heard playing in the background of a a television news cross.
By Shiloh Payne
World leaders offer mixed reaction at Johnson's resignation
World leaders are starting to respond to the news of Boris Johnson's resignation.
In Ukraine, the country's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described Mr Johnson as a "true friend of Ukraine" and said he expected Britain's support for his country to continue.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country "heard this news with sadness".
"Not only me, but also the entire Ukrainian society, which is very sympathetic to you [Johnson]. My entire office and all Ukrainians are grateful to you for your help," Mr Zelenskyy says.
In India, a spokesman for its External Affairs Department said Mr Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoyed a very close friendship — but stressed that the UK and India shared a multifaceted relationship.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said Ireland and Britain had an opportunity to repair ties strained in recent times by Brexit, saying he and Mr Johnson didn't always agree and had a challenging relationship.
Meanwhile in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Johnson "dislikes us very much. We dislike him too".
By Shiloh Payne
Let's take a look at the leading candidates
Now that Boris Johnson has resigned, a new prime minister needs to be appointed.
These are the frontrunners to take Mr Johnson's place when he leaves 10 Downing Street:
- Rishi Sunak — former chancellor of the exchequer
- Liz Truss — Foreign Secretary
- Sajid Javid — former health secretary
- Jeremy Hunt — former foreign secretary
- Ben Wallace — Defence Secretary
- Penny Mordaunt — former defence secretary
- Suella Braverman — Attorney General
-
Nadhim Zahawi — Chancellor of the Exchequer
You can read about the candidates in further detail below.
By Shiloh Payne
Calls grow to remove Johnson as caretaker Prime Minister
Boris Johnson stepped down immediately as Conservative Party leader but said he would remain as prime minister until the party chooses his successor.
The Associated Press reports that the timetable for that process will be announced next week.
The last leadership contest took six weeks.
But many want him to go now, with some Conservative politicians expressing fear he could do mischief even as a caretaker prime minister.
George Freeman, who resigned as science minister on Thursday, said: "It's very difficult to see how Boris Johnson, given the character that he is, is going to be able to govern for three months in quiet humility and contrition."
Mr Johnson’s former advisor Dominic Cummings said the government should evict him immediately.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also weighed in.
"I'm not sure that anybody can look at Boris Johnson and conclude that he is capable of genuinely behaving as a caretaker prime minister. He will want to do things, and in the process of that undoubtedly cause more chaos than he has already," she said.
While John Major, former Conservative UK prime minister, said the proposal for Mr Johnson to remain in office for up to three months was "unwise" and "may be unsustainable".
By Shiloh Payne
Here's what happened overnight
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned after a string of cabinet resignations. You can watch his full resignation speech here.
- He will step down as leader of the Conservative Party but remain as caretaker Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen.
- Mr Johnson could remain as caretaker Prime Minister for several months, until a new leader is chose before the party conference in October. These are the front runners to take his place.
- In his resignation speech, Johnson said: "In politics, no one is remotely indispensable." You can look back on his time in the top job here.
You can read the full details as it happeend in yesterday's live blog
By Shiloh Payne
Good morning
Overnight, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned as leader of the Conservative party but will remain as caretaker prime minister until a replacement is found.
But there are calls to have him removed more immediately as Conservative politicals express their concerns over him governing for the next three months.
Good morning, I'm Shiloh Payne and I'll be taking you through all oft he latest updates.
Countries around the world are reacting to the announcement, we'll also be taking a look at how they're responding.
