Boris Johnson bows to pressure and quits after days of turmoil

Boris Johnson has announced his “painful” resignation but defied pressure to step down immediately as prime minister, insisting he would remain in office until a new Conservative party leader is chosen.

In an unapologetic address in front of No 10 Downing Street, after days of turmoil and mass resignations from his government, he accused his party of making an “eccentric” decision to ditch him.

But he said: “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader for the Conservative party and therefore a new prime minister.”