Boris Johnson said on Thursday he was resigning as Britain's prime minister, bowing to calls from ministerial colleagues and lawmakers in his Conservative Party.
"The process of choosing that new leader should begin now," Johnson said at the door of Number 10 Downing Street.
"And today I have appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place."
It took the resignation of nearly 60 members of his government -- almost half the payroll -- for Johnson to finally abandon his attempts to cling on to power. Even then, the Prime Minister insisted that he would continue as caretaker leader while the Conservative Party launches the process of choosing a successor.
Some senior figures in his party say even that will be unsustainable, given the dwindling number of people willing to work for him.
Others are already lining up to replace him. Party officials say they will announce the timetable for a leadership election by Monday.
Speaking in front of the famous 10 Downing Street door, the same place where many of his predecessors delivered their own resignation addresses, Johnson announced that he would be stepping down -- without actually saying the words out loud.
"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 said.
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