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Boris Johnson is resigning as Britain's prime minister.

He said on Thursday, July 7, that he was resigning, bowing to pressure from Conservative Party colleagues and lawmakers, with eight ministers, including two secretaries of state, resigning in two hours.

"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."

Lasted less than three years

In power for slightly less than three years, this was a far cry from when Johnson, 58, won a large majority in 2019, capturing votes in parts of Britain that had never supported his Conservative Party before.

Johnson, in his statement, thanked the British public for voting for his party in 2019, Bloomberg and Reuters reported.

“So 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, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979," he said.

“I’m immensely proud of the achievements of this government: from getting Brexit done to settling our relations with the continent for over half a century," he added.

He also said: "Reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in parliament, getting us all through the pandemic, delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, the fastest exit from lockdown, and in the last few months, leading the West in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.”

He added that "in the last few days, I’ve tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we’re delivering so much".

He also said it was "painful not to see my term through", and that he was sad to be giving up the "best job in the world but them's the breaks".

Search for new PM is on

Johnson, a former journalist and London mayor, said he will serve until the new prime minister takes over.

He will stay on as caretaker prime minister until October.

The Conservative party’s annual conference will install a new leader.

Johnson was abandoned by newly appointed ministers and more than 50 others.

The mass exodus has threatened to leave the government dangerously close to paralysis.

Opinion polls show he is no longer popular with the public at large.

This was after many of his lawmakers were hit by a series of scandals that have exhausted their goodwill.

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Top photo via 10 Downing Street