Boris Johnson to resign as UK Prime Minister

The decision comes after a week of scandal for Johnson, involving more than 50 ministers resigning after the botched handling of a parliamentary member's resignation.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Thursday morning he will be resigning from office.

The decision comes after a week of scandal for Johnson, involving more than 50 ministers resigning after the botched handling of the resignation of Johnson’s former deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher.

Pincher was accused of sexual misconduct last week and resigned from Parliament, but no further disciplinary actions were carried out. The allegations grew more serious, and it was brought into question how much Mr. Johnson knew about Pincher’s actions.

It was then discovered Mr. Johnson had known about previous allegations of sexual misconduct but appointed Pincher to deputy chief whip anyway. The position in Parliament enforces Members of Parliament discipline and is responsible for other pastoral matters.

Once news broke, it caused fury in the Conservative Party, with many calling for Mr. Johnson to resign and with more than 50 resigning from Parliament themselves. Mr. Johnson originally refused to step down without a fight but announced his resignation within the week.

The Conservative Party will hold a leadership contest throughout the coming months, with Johnson remaining Prime Minister until the party finds a suitable replacement.