Boris Johnson is speaking now.
He came out to the applause of his wife Carrie and the support ministers gathered in front of number 10.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, resigns. Credit: Bloomberg
He sounds lush and optimistic, there is no trace of emotion or sadness in his voice.
“Clearly, it is now the will of the Conservative parliamentary party to have a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister,” he began.
“In Westminster, the herd’s instinct is powerful and when it moves, it moves.”
He said the process of electing a new leader will begin now, with the timetable to be announced next week.
“Today I have appointed a new cabinet to serve, as I will, until the new leader is in place,” he said.
He says he wants to thank the millions who voted Conservatives in 2019, some of them for the first time.
“Thank you for this incredible mandate, the largest Conservative majority since 1987,” he said, adding that the reason he had “fought so hard” in recent days was to fulfill this mandate in person.
“Because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you,” he said.
He said he had argued to his comrades that it would be “eccentric” for the party to change leaders.
“I’m sorry I didn’t succeed in those arguments and of course it’s painful,” he said.
“In Westminster, the herd’s instinct is powerful and when it moves, it moves,” he said.