UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson Resigns

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation after droves of top government officials quit over the latest scandal to engulf him, marking an end to three tumultuous years in which he tried to brazen out one ethical lapse after another with a combination of charm, bluster and denial.

Months of defiance ended almost with a shrug as Johnson stood outside 10 Downing Street, and conceded that his party wanted him gone. “Them’s the breaks,” he said.

The brash, 58-year-old politician who took Britain out of the European Union and steered a rough path through the COVID pandemic was brought down by one scandal too many - this one involving his appointment of a politician who had been accused of sexual misconduct.

The messiest of prime ministers did not leave cleanly. Johnson stepped down immediately as Conservative Party leader but said he would remain as prime minister until the party chooses his successor. The timetable for that process will be announced next week. The last leadership contest took six weeks.