Boris Johnson Resigns As UK Prime Minister

United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has officially resigned from his position.

Gatekeepers News reports that on Thursday, Johnson announced his resignation, saying that it was clear the Conservative Party needed a new leader.

Johnson’s resignation comes after about 40 ministers quit his government asking him to step down in the wake of ethics scandals.

Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi was the latest of Johnson’s allies to urge him to “go now,” saying the unprecedented political crisis over his future was not sustainable and would “only get worse.”

Zahawi’s call for Johnson to step down came just two days after the prime minister appointed him finance minister.

The stream of resignations was dramatically kickstarted by Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid. They quit their posts as finance minister and health secretary, respectively, within minutes of each on Tuesday evening following a dispute over Johnson’s decision to appoint Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip earlier this year.

Pincher resigned and was suspended as a Conservative Party MP last week, following accusations that he drunkenly groped two men at a private members’ club. It has since emerged that Johnson appointed him to the role despite knowing of previous misconduct allegations against him.

Johnson apologized for appointing Pincher as deputy chief whip. He has since repeatedly rejected calls to resign, claiming he had a “colossal mandate” to keep going.

Johnson bowed to the political pressure over his future and announced he would step down.