Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister but expected to remain in post until successor is elected by October

The anticipated resignation comes after over 50 ministers and MPs stood down and made clear that Mr Johnson’s position was untenable.

A No.10 source confirmed this morning that the Conservative Party leader will make a statement to the country later today.

Mr Johnson is understood to have spoken to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative 1922 Committee, to inform him of his decision.

“The Prime Minister has spoken to Graham Brady and agreed to stand down in time for a new leader to be in place by the conference in October,” a No 10 source said.

Reports suggest Mr Johnson will remain as Prime Minister until a successor is in place, expected to be by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.

Mr Johnson had sought to defy his critics to stay on as Prime Minister yesterday even as the mass exodus from his government continued to gain pace, but his parliamentary support base collapsed even further today as his newly-appointed Education Secretary Michelle Donelan resigned after two days in the position and new Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi told him to ‘go now’.

Sheffield Forgemasters: £100m plans lodged for giant new forge set to safeguard 600 jobs

The timetable for the Tory leadership contest will be agreed between the 1922 Committee, which runs the parliamentary proceedings to whittle the candidates down to two, and Conservative headquarters.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak were the first ministers to resign on Tuesday evening, following the latest scandal Mr Johnson has been embroiled in concerning Conservative MP Chris Pincher who quit as deputy chief whip after allegedly assaulting two men while drunk at London's Carlton Club.

The Prime Minister later acknowledged he had previously been informed of allegations against Mr Pincher dating back to 2019, and said he regretted keeping him in government beyond that point.

His authority had already been damaged by a confidence vote which saw 41 per cent of his own MPs withdraw their support in June.

The loss of crunch by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton later that month triggered the resignation of party chairman Oliver Dowden, while there is still lingering resentment over coronavirus lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street.