Boris Johnson agrees to stand down as Prime Minister
No 10 source says he has spoken to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady
Last updated 7th Jul 2022
Boris Johnson has agreed to step down as Prime Minister according to No 10 sources.
He will remain as Prime Minister until a successor is in place, expected to be by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.
A No 10 source said Mr Johnson spoke to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative 1922 Committee, to inform him of his decision to step down as Conservative Leader, which would mean he would also stand down as Prime Minister.
Our Political Editor Alan Smith tweeted the news:
The Prime Minister had sought to defy his critics and carry on in office, despite warnings from Cabinet colleagues that it was not sustainable.
But resignations continued and Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi – who was only promoted to Chancellor by Boris Johnson two days ago – went public with his call for the Prime Minister to quit:
Mr Johnson will make a statement to the country later today confirming the decision to step down.
The timetable for the Tory leadership contest will be agreed between the 1922 Committee, which runs the parliamentary proceedings to whittle the candidates down to two, and Conservative headquarters.
But critics of the Prime Minister suggested he should not be allowed to remain in office until the autumn.
George Freeman, who quit as science minister on Thursday morning, said that now Mr Johnson had “finally done the decent thing” he should “hand in the seals of office, apologise to Her Majesty, allow her to appoint a caretaker under whom ministers can serve, so the Conservative Party can choose a new leader properly”.
Over 50 MPs resign from Government
Boris's agreement to step down comes after more than 50 MPs quit his government.
It started with Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak stepping down from their roles as Health Secretary and Chancellor on Tuesday but was then followed by a mass resignation of ministers, along with a string of parliamentary aides.
At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Mr Johnson said the “colossal mandate” he had been handed by voters in 2019 means he should keep going despite the “difficult circumstances” he faces.
But Mr Javid’s resignation statement in the House laid bare the scale of the problems facing the Prime Minister – and he challenged other Cabinet ministers to consider their positions.
The Prime Minister stayed in the Commons chamber as former health secretary Mr Javid set out the reasons for his resignation, saying Mr Johnson was not going to change and “enough is enough”.
Mr Javid said: “Treading the tightrope between loyalty and integrity has become impossible in recent months.
“I will never risk losing my integrity.”
He said “the problem starts at the top and I believe that is not going to change”.
The possible contenders to be the next Prime Minister
Liz Truss - Winner
The Foreign Secretary has made little secret of her leadership ambitions, with a series of high-profile interventions and photo opportunities in which she appeared to be channelling late PM Margaret Thatcher.
Her hard line on Ukraine, insisting Russian forces must be driven from the country, and threats to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU, play well with sections of the party.
Away from politics, Ms Truss's flair for social media has seen her offer an insight into life outside of Westminster by updating her Instagram account with pictures of her relaxing at the beach, or behind the scenes at official events, though her passions combined to bizarre effect in 2014 when her improbably enthusiastic speech about opening pork markets in Beijing went viral.
Rishi Sunak - Defeated in the final two
The former Chancellor's rise from relative obscurity to household name came as he turned on the spending taps to protect jobs through the furlough scheme when the coronavirus pandemic struck.
But his stock took a tumble more recently following disclosures that his wife had non-dom status for tax purposes, and that he was too slow to respond to the cost-of-living crisis
Penny Mordaunt - Eliminated
Ms Mordaunt made waves in 2019 as the UK's first female defence secretary before being fired by Mr Johnson shortly after becoming PM.
Ms Mordaunt has many strings to her bow - she is a Royal Navy reservist, the current trade minister and a former reality television contestant, having appeared on the Tom Daley-fronted diving show Splash.
She played a prominent role in the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and has previously reportedly enjoyed the backing of Dame Andrea Leadsom among others.
Kemi Badenoch - Eliminated
Former equalities minister and MP for Saffron Walden Kemi Badenoch threw her hat into the ring with a plan for a smaller state and a government "focused on the essentials".
Ms Badenoch said she will deliver tax cuts "to boost growth and productivity and accompanied by tight spending discipline". Ms Badenoch may be considered an outsider for the leadership given the Tory grandees already in the running, but her profile was boosted by an endorsement from Michael Gove on Sunday.
Tom Tugendhat - Eliminated
Eliminated. The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat became the first contender to officially throw his hat in the ring, saying he was putting together a "broad coalition" offering a "clean start".
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the former soldier said: "I have served before – in the military, and now in Parliament. Now I hope to answer the call once again as prime minister."
Suella Braverman - Eliminated
Attorney General Suella Braverman was one of the first to openly say that she would stand in a leadership contest as she called for the Prime Minister to quit.
Jeremy Hunt - Eliminated
Failed to secure enough MP votes in the first round.
The former foreign secretary and ex-health secretary has been a persistent backbench critic of Mr Johnson and had called on the Prime Minister to quit.
Mr Hunt is making a fresh bid for the leadership, having been runner-up to Mr Johnson in 2019.
Nadhim Zahawi - Eliminated
Failed to secure enough MP votes in the first round.
The former education secretary is regarded by some as a "safe pair of hands" if other candidates prove too divisive
Iraqi-born Mr Zahawi was a successful businessman and came to wider prominence as vaccines minister during the pandemic where he was credited with playing a key part in the successful rollout of the jab.
Sajid Javid - Withdrawn
Sajid Javid pulled out of the race to succeed Boris Johnson as Tory leader moments before the official nominations were revealed. In a statement, the former health secretary said: "Serving in Government is a true privilege. It has been just seven days since I took the difficult decision to resign from the most important job I have ever had, as health secretary during a pandemic.
"Since then, I have set out the values and policies I think are right for the future of our great country. I believe the party must now look outwards, not inwards, if we are to win again.
"There is an abundance of both ideas and talent in our party. One of the candidates will be given the honour of becoming Prime Minister.
Rehman Chishti - Withdrawn
The newly appointed Foreign Office minister announced his bid for the top job via a Facebook post but withdrew from the race tweeting "I will not be taking my campaign any further for the leadership of our party as I have not been able to secure the necessary parliamentary backing".
Grant Shapps - Withdrawn from contest
The Transport Secretary had put himself forward as a leadership candidate, but withdrew from the contest after it was announced that candidates would need 20 MPs to back their nomination.
In a tweet, he said he was now supporting former chancellor Rishi Sunak: "Amongst a field of brilliant candidates, I've spoken to Rishi Sunak who I believe has the competence and experience to lead this country."
Steve Baker - Not running
Prominent Brexiteer and former minister Steve Baker, a senior Tory backbencher had said he was considering running for the position, but eventually dropped out of the leadership race and announced he will support Suella Braverman.
Ben Wallace - Not running
The Defence Secretary was an early favourite for the leadership but ruled himself out on Saturday.