Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer led calls for a general election and a new UK government instead of allowing Boris Johnson to remain as prime minister until a new party leader is found.
Mr Johnson caved to intense pressure from his cabinet to step down on Thursday after the flood of resignations from his government approached 60.
In an address to the nation outside Number 10 Downing Street, Mr Johnson said: “I’ve agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week and I have today appointed a Cabinet to serve as I will until a new leader is in place.”
That process could take several months, allowing Mr Johnson to potentially remain in place until October.
Many politicians felt a caretaker prime minister would be a better option, with Mr Johnson's deputy Dominic Raab the most likely contender. He has stepped in for Mr Johnson twice before, when the prime minister was in hospital with Covid and when he underwent a nose operation. Crucially, he has also said he would not stand to be the next leader.
Sir Keir said Labour would use a House of Commons motion to attempt to oust him if the prime minister refused to hand over the reins to a caretaker prime minister. “He needs to go completely,” Sir Keir said. “None of this nonsense about clinging on for a few months.
“He's inflicted lies, fraud and chaos in the country. We're stuck with a government which isn't functioning in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. And all of those that have been propping him up should be utterly ashamed of themselves.”
Sir Keir insisted Mr Johnson was "unfit to govern" and "cannot cling on for months". He tweeted: "If the Conservative party do not get rid of him, then Labour will act in the national interest and bring a vote of no confidence."
After reports surfaced that Mr Johnson's resignation was imminent, Sir Keir shared a letter on Twitter, welcoming the “good news”. But he insisted a change of Conservative leader would not be sufficient to address the problems blighting Britain and suggested the time had come for a general election to elect a new government — which he would lead.
“The Tory Party have inflicted chaos upon the country during the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades and they cannot now pretend they are the ones to sort it out,” Sir Keir wrote.
“They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound. Twelve years of economy stagnation, 12 years of declining public services, 12 years of empty promises. Enough is enough.
“We don’t need to change the Tory at the top — we need a proper change of government. We need a fresh start for Britain.”
If a general election was called it is unlikely the Conservatives would win the same amount of support that they did in the last election in December 2019 when they won a landslide majority of 80 seats in parliament. With Mr Johnson at the helm of the party leading a campaign to “get Brexit done” the Tories won 43.6 per cent of the popular vote — the highest percentage for any party since 1979.
Public support for the ruling party has in recent months plummeted, as the government has weathered scandal after scandal and lost several by-elections to Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Lib Dems, said it would be “ludicrous” for Mr Johnson to stay on until a new leader has been chosen by the Conservatives, and added his voice to growing calls for a change of government.
“Johnson may have gone but the stain on the Conservative Party can't be removed that easily,” he tweeted. “This cruel callous government must go.”
“The idea that the Conservatives might make Boris Johnson caretaker for anything is frankly ludicrous,” he added. “The man’s never taken care of anything in his life.”
Adrian Ramsay, co-leader of the Green Party, also in opposition, made clear his distaste for any plan that would see Mr Johnson remain in office as a caretaker prime minister over the coming months.
“How did the Conservative Party allow this to drag on for so long?,” he tweeted. “And are they really going to let him hang around for another three months? The work to heal our democracy needs to start well before then.”
News of Mr Johnson’s resignation broke on Thursday morning shortly after Iraqi-born MP Nadhim Zahawi, who was named as the new chancellor on Wednesday, publicly called on the prime minister to quit, saying the situation “is not sustainable and it will only get worse”. His withdrawal of support for the embattled leader came after Mr Johnson sacked cabinet minister Michael Gove on Wednesday evening after he too asked him to leave office. Mr Johnson on Thursday appointed Greg Clark to the position.
Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party's leader in Westminster, used the prime minister's resignation to further push his party's campaign for Scottish Independence. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon last month announced plans to hold a referendum on the matter in October 2023, after Scots voted to remain part of the UK in 2014. Mr Johnson on Wednesday ruled out handing Scotland's first minister the authority to hold another independence referendum.
“The only way for Scotland to escape the damage of Westminster control is to become an independent country, with the full powers needed to regain our place in Europe and build a fair and prosperous future,” Mr Blackford tweeted. “Whoever takes over from Boris Johnson must respect the democratic mandate the Scottish government has to hold an independence referendum — so we can escape Westminster control for good.”
Ms Sturgeon slammed Mr Johnson's appointment of a slew of new ministers in the wake of 59 resignations from his administration, saying the situation resembled a soap opera.
"How much more farcical is this going to get?" Ms Sturgeon wrote on Twitter. "If Johnson can’t even be trusted to resign properly, the Tories need to act to end it … now. People across the UK need and deserve better - especially now - than a badly written soap opera."
Sir John Major, a former Conservative prime minister, wrote to the chairman of the 1922 Committee to warn it was "unwise" for Mr Johnson to remain in office while his successor is chosen. Sir John suggested two options: either appoint Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab as acting prime minister or arrange for a new leader to be elected solely by an MPs' vote, without a ballot of party members.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has succumbed to a rebellion in his ruling Conservative Party and said he would stand down as leader. Reuters -
Several crises, including sleaze allegations against a Conservative MP, had increased the pressure on Mr Johnson. Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street -
More than 50 members of his government, including health secretary Sajid Javid and chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak, have quit. AP -
A new Conservative leader will be selected before a party conference is held in October. AP -
A protester outside Parliament in London. Getty -
Questions are mounting over how much Mr Johnson knew about accusations of misconduct against MP Christopher Pincher. PA -
Nadhim Zahawi leaves No 10 Downing Street after being named as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. Getty -
Mr Johnson survived an attempt by Tory MPs to oust him in a vote of confidence in June. PA -
Mr Johnson leaves the Houses of Parliament after the vote. Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in the secret ballot in Westminster. EPA -
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, announcing the result of the vote. PA -
A police officer patrols Downing Street on Monday. The vote of no confidence marked the most serious challenge yet to Mr Johnson's three-year tenure as prime minister. EPA -
A protester holds up an anti-Boris Johnson placard outside parliament in London. EPA -
Boris Johnson reads the long-awaited report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into the Downing Street party scandal. Photo: Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street -
A gathering in the Cabinet Room at No 10 Downing Street on Mr Johnson's birthday. Photo: Cabinet Office -
Mr Johnson during a gathering held while lockdown rules were in force across the UK. Photo: Cabinet Office -
Another gathering at No 10 Downing Street to mark the departure of a special adviser. Photo: Cabinet Office -
Mr Johnson apologises to MPs in the House of Commons in April, having been fined after a police probe for attending a party during coronavirus lockdowns imposed by his own government. AFP -
Mr Johnson was no more than 30 seconds into his speech when the first shout of 'resign' was heard from the opposition benches, followed by 'you’re an embarrassment' and 'just go'. Reuters -
'I take this opportunity on the first available sitting day to repeat my wholehearted apology to the House,' he said, admitting that 'people had a right to expect better of their prime minister'. AFP -
The prime minister, pictured with a birthday cake baked for him by school staff at Bovingdon Primary Academy in Hemel Hempstead, said it ‘didn't occur’ to him that a gathering on June 19, 2020 to mark his 56th birthday broke coronavirus rules. AFP -
Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, left, was also fined for attending lockdown parties held in and around Downing Street. AFP -
Mr Johnson is the first sitting prime minister to be censured for breaking the law, sparking calls from all sides of parliament, including some in his own party, to step down. Reuters -
A lone protester demonstrates at Downing Street in London. EPA -
Before the war broke out in Ukraine, Mr Johnson appeared vulnerable to the Partygate controversy. He has been praised by some for his response to the conflict. AFP -
Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie applaud health workers outside No 10 Downing Street in May 2020. Getty -
Mr Johnson makes a statement in the House of Commons in January on a report regarding the Downing Street parties during lockdown. Reuters -
A journalist highlights sections of the Sue Gray report. AFP -
Mr Johnson is understood to have been present at six of at least 12 'partygate' events under investigation. One occurred on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, at which Queen Elizabeth II had to grieve away from other mourners because of social distancing protocol. Getty
