U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson Resigns... But There Is A Catch

On Thursday morning, Boris Johnson announced that he will resign from his position as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

In the past few weeks, Johnson has resisted calls from many lawmakers and ministers, even from those within his own party, to step down.

In the past few months, Johnson has found himself fending off numerous scandals, which including attending government social gatherings during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. He also approved the promotion of a senior lawmaker, despite sexual misconduct allegations.

In June 2022, Johnson survived a no-confidence vote last month but has decided to resign. Regardless, he is not stepping down just yet. Johnson plans to hold onto his seat until the fall until a suitable replacement can be found. As such, it is unclear when Johnson will actually step down.

On Thursday morning, Boris Johnson gave a speech to reporters, which was transcribed by PEOPLE.

"It is clear 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 began.

Johnson said that he "agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now. He added that the "timetable" will be announced within next week.

"I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019 - many of them voting Conservative for the first time - thank you for that incredible mandate," Johnson continued. "The reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person, was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt that it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you, to continue to do what we promised."

"It's painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself, but as we have seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful," he added. "When the herd moves, it moves."

"No one is remotely indispensable and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times," he continued.

Johnson then addressed his replacement, saying, "To that new leader, whoever he or she may be, I say I will give you as much support as I can. And to you the British public, I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed."

"And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world," he said, concluding, "But them's the breaks."

As reported by Deadline, Boris Johnson finally agreed to step down after more than 50 government officials submitted their resignations.

The BBC reported that Johnson will continue to serve until the fall when a new Conservative Party leader is expected to take over.

However, the decision to stay on is a controversial one, and it remains to be seen who will replace him.No clear frontrunner has emerged, but more information about possible replacements are sure to emerge in the coming weeks.