Party Revolt Forces Boris Johnson To Quit As UK Prime Minister

Boris Johnson's tumultuous stint as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ended Thursday (early Friday, July 8, 2022, in Manila) when a historic party revolt over a series of ethics scandals led him to resign. CNN's Jack Guy, Luke McGee, and Ivana Kottasová contributed reporting.

Photo Insert: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces his resignation.

Johnson finally abandoned his attempts to cling to power when nearly 60 members of his government resigned – about half the headcount. Interestingly, the Prime Minister insisted on remaining as caretaker leader while the Conservative Party began the process of selecting a successor.

"It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore, a new prime minister," Johnson said.

"The process of choosing that new leader should begin now," he added, saying the timeline will be announced next week, Reuters, the Associated Press (AP) and BBC also reported.

The leader of the opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer, said it was "good news for the country" that Johnson had decided to resign, adding that "it should have happened long ago," Lauren Kent and Sugam Pokharel also reported for CNN.

"He was always unfit for office. He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale," said Starmer on Twitter. The opposition leader also had scathing words for the Conservatives.

"They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound. Twelve years of economic stagnation. Twelve years of declining public services. Twelve years of empty promises," Starmer added.

"Enough is enough. We don't need to change the Tory at the top -- we need a proper change of government. We need a fresh start for Britain."

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic