The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has finally resigned from his position.
His resignation will pave the way for a successor to replace him as British prime minister after dozens of his ministers quit his scandal-hit government.
Following his resignation, British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, called for “calmness and unity” Thursday after Johnston quit as Conservative Party leader following a series of scandals and an exodus of cabinet ministers.
“The PM has made the right decision. The Government under Boris’s leadership had many achievements — delivering Brexit, vaccines and backing Ukraine. We need calmness and unity now and to keep governing while a new leader is found,” she tweeted from Bali where she is scheduled to attend a G20 ministerial meeting on Friday.
In his speech, Johnson said his resignation was “clearly now the will of the parliamentary party”, adding that the move will pave way for a new prime minister to replace him.
According to him, I waited so long to make the decision as I have been keen to deliver on the voters’ mandate in person as I felt it was my duty and obligation to do what I had promised.
Johnson said he was immensely proud of his achievements while in office, while he thanked his wife Carrie, his children, the NHS, armed forces, and Downing Street staff.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called Boris Johnson by telephone to express his “sadness” over the British leader’s resignation as Conservative leader and impending departure as prime minister, Kyiv said.
“We all welcome this news with sadness. Not only me, but also all of Ukrainian society which sympathises with you a lot,” the presidency quoted Zelensky as saying, reiterating how grateful Ukrainians were for the British prime minister’s support since the Russian invasion.
Johnson has been seen as one of Ukraine’s most vocal and fervent supporters in the West.
“We don’t doubt that Great Britain’s support will continue, but your personal leadership and your charisma made it special,” said Zelensky.
The two leaders also discussed military and political cooperation between the two countries and negotiations designed to unblock grain exports from Ukrainian ports, Kyiv added.
