Boris Johnson to resign on Thursday; will remain as PM until new leader elected

LONDON: According to reports from Downing Street, Boris Johnson the British Prime Minister has finally agreed on Thursday to step down as Conservative Party leader which will trigger a leadership election for a new Tory leader who will then go on to become the new premier.

Johnson, 58, will remain in charge at 10 Downing Street until the process of selecting a new leader is completed in time for the Conservative Party conference scheduled for October.

He is expected to officially announce his resignation by Thursday evening.

The move comes after days of drama and permanent resignations from his cabinet since Tuesday, when the newly appointed chancellor to replace Rishi Sunak wrote a public letter asking him to "go now".

Iraqi-born minister Nadhim Zahawi, seen as the front-runner to replace Johnson at 10 Downing Street, wrote a scathing letter publicly questioning his boss's authority and calling for his exit.

Although not officially resigning from his new cabinet post, the 55-year-old minister said Johnson's time was up.

"Prime minister, you know in your heart what the right thing to do is, and go now," he signs off.

With PTI inputs