FACTBOX-Reaction to Boris Johnson's resignation

Scandal-ridden Boris Johnson announced on Thursday he would quit as British prime minister after he dramatically lost the support of his ministers and most Conservative lawmakers, but said he would stay on until his successor was chosen. Below are some reactions: KEIR STARMER, LEADER OF OPPOSITION LABOUR PARTY "It is good news for the country that Boris Johnson has resigned as Prime Minister. "But it should have happened long ago.


Reuters | Updated: 07-07-2022 19:18 IST | Created: 07-07-2022 19:18 IST
FACTBOX-Reaction to Boris Johnson's resignation

Scandal-ridden Boris Johnson announced on Thursday he would quit as British prime minister after he dramatically lost the support of his ministers and most Conservative lawmakers, but said he would stay on until his successor was chosen. Below are some reactions:

KEIR STARMER, LEADER OF OPPOSITION LABOUR PARTY "It is good news for the country that Boris Johnson has resigned as Prime Minister.

"But it should have happened long ago. He was always unfit for office. He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale." JOHN MAJOR, FORMER CONSERVATIVE PRIME MINISTER

"The proposal for the prime minister to remain in office - for up to three months - having lost the support of his cabinet, his government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable." "For the overall wellbeing of the country, Mr Johnson should not remain in Downing Street - when he is unable to command the confidence of the House of Commons - for any longer than necessary to effect the smooth transition of government."

JUSTIN TOMLINSON, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF CONSERVATIVE PARTY "I was Team Boris, as the GE (general election) showed he was our star player who connected across traditional political divides. Yes there were ups and downs, but he turbo-charged social mobility and opportunity.

"His resignation was inevitable. As a Party we must quickly unite and focus on what matters. These are serious times on many fronts." ANDREW BRIDGEN, CONSERVATIVE LAWMAKER

"It was a short and bizarre resignation speech which didn't mention the word resign or resignation once. There was no apology, no contrition. "There was no apology for the crisis his actions have put our government, our democracy, through."

KWASI KWARTENG, BUSINESS MINISTER "What a depressing state of affairs. So much needless damage caused.

"We now need a new Leader as soon as practicable. Someone who can rebuild trust, heal the country, and set out a new, sensible and consistent economic approach to help families. "The wheels of Government must continue in the meantime."

ALISTER JACK, SCOTLAND MINISTER: "I am sad to see Boris Johnson stand down as Prime Minister. He has achieved a huge amount in office, including delivering Brexit, supporting the country through COVID, and leading the international response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Most importantly, he has worked tirelessly to strengthen the Union."

SENIOR CONSERVATIVE LAWMAKER "Relief basically. And also sadness at a missed opportunity. A man destroyed by his own fundamental flaws."

NICOLA STURGEON, SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER "There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end, though notion of Boris Johnson staying on as PM until autumn seems far from ideal, and surely not sustainable?"

MICHELLE O'NEILL, LEADER OF SINN FEIN IN NORTHERN IRELAND "It has been an utter absurdity that the people here have been subjected to Boris Johnson for any length of time. He is a figure of absolute disrepute. Anyone who tries to sabotage our peace agreements, a quarter century of progress and our shared future is truly no friend of ours."

EUROPEAN COMMISSION SPOKESPERSON "From our point of view, the political developments do not change our position on the (Northern Ireland) protocol or the way in which we work with our British counterparts on Northern Ireland.

"Our position is that we should endeavour to seek solutions as regards to the implementation of the protocol." DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESMAN

"He doesn't like us, we don't like him either." VYACHESLAV VOLODIN, RUSSIAN DUMA SPEAKER

"He is one of the main ideologues of the war against Russia until the last Ukrainian. European leaders should think about where such a policy leads." MARIA ZAKHAROVA, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON

"Boris Johnson was hit by a boomerang launched by himself ... His comrades-in-arms turned him in." "The moral of the story is: do not seek to destroy Russia ... Russia cannot be destroyed. You can break your teeth on it - and then choke on them."

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Give Feedback