British junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt on Sunday launched her bid to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, becoming the ninth Conservative lawmaker to run for 10 Downing Street.

"Our leadership has to change. It needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship," she tweeted.

Ben Wallace, the British defense secretary, on Saturday said he would not enter the contest for the leadership of the Conservative Party. 

Britain's Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer on Friday called for a general election, saying it's the answer to the current instability in the country that sees cost-of-living crisis.

"We're ready for a general election - let's get on with it," Starmer said at a press conference after he's cleared of the "beergate" scandal by Durham Police. "If there's a general election this government will fall."

"Britain deserves that fresh start, that can only come with a change of government," he told reporters.

British Education Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday that replacing Boris Johnson as prime minister should be done "properly and professionally, but quickly," Sky News reported.

Cleverly, who was appointed to the role on Thursday, ruled himself out of the leadership contest, Sky News said.

The British Conservative Party plans to choose a new UK prime minister by early September when the House of Commons returns from its summer break, the Financial Times quoted MPs with knowledge of the plans.

Boris Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday, triggering internal competition for the election of a new party leader, who will be appointed prime minister by the queen.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation on Thursday as the leader of Britain's Conservative party came only after he was overwhelmed by a wave of walkouts by his ministers. More than 50 people on the government payroll quit in the 36 hours before him. 

The key cabinet departures which started the dam burst were those of Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Tuesday evening.

Over the 36 hours between Tuesday evening and Thursday morning a further 23 less senior, non-cabinet ministers and 26 other members of the government - from ministerial aides to trade envoys - also quit.

As the resignations mounted late on Wednesday Johnson himself sacked Michael Gove, Levelling Up Secretary, with a Downing Street source describing the PM's former Brexit right-hand-man as a "snake" in the media. Then, Simon Hart became the third cabinet minister to resign, stepping down from his position as Welsh Secretary.

Early on Thursday, Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis became the fourth cabinet minister to resign and wrote that Johnson was "past the point of no return." Finally, the new Education Secretary Michelle Donelan quit after just 36 hours in the role, moments after the new Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi wrote to Boris Johnson, telling him to "go now." 

Outside 10 Downing Street on Thursday Johnson said: "It is clearly the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party, and therefore a new prime minister."

The timetable for the Tory leadership race will be announced next week, after three years of Johnson as Prime Minister defined by Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian attacks on Ukraine. 

Staying on as Prime Minister until a replacement is found, Johnson said that he was "sad... to be giving up the best job in the world."

The world both within and beyond Britain's shores is still digesting the news of Boris Johnson's resignation as UK Prime Minister after a string of scandals.

Reactions so far range from the cynically dismissive to the cautiously hopeful. Johnson, 58, announced that he would step down after a slew of resignations from his top team but said he would stay on as prime minister until a replacement is found.

Here are some of the early comments, with Russian spokespeople among the first to comment.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

"We would like to hope that some day in Great Britain more professional people who can make decisions through dialogue will come to power.....But at the moment there is little hope for that."  

"He doesn't like us, we don't like him [Johnson] either."

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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."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

"We all welcome this news with sadness. Not only me, but also all of Ukrainian society which sympathises with you a lot." (quote from a phone call with Johnson). 

Joe Biden, U.S. President

"The United Kingdom and the United States are the closest of friends and Allies, and the special relationship between our people remains strong and enduring."

 "I look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the government of the United Kingdom, as well as our Allies and partners around the world, on a range of important priorities. That includes maintaining a strong and united approach to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Putin's brutal war on their democracy, and holding Russia accountable for its actions."

Michel Barnier,  former chief EU negotiator on Brexit

Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland

"There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end, though the notion of Boris Johnson staying on as PM until autumn seems far from ideal, and surely not sustainable?" said Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish First Minister.

Michelle O'Neill, Leader of Sinn Feinn in Northern Ireland

"It has been an utter absurdity that the people here have been subjected to Boris Johnson for any length of time."

Micheal Martin, prime minister of Ireland

"We now have an opportunity to return to the true spirit of partnership and mutual respect that is needed to underpin the gains of the Good Friday Agreement." (referring to a 1998 Northern Ireland peace deal).

The leadership election will take place over the summer and the victor will replace Johnson by the party's annual conference in early October, the BBC and others reported. 

"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," said the European Commission spokesperson.

"Our position is that we should endeavor to seek solutions as regards to the implementation of the protocol."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned on Thursday following a rebellion from his own lawmakers and one-time allies. Some cited government chaos or ideological differences. Others quit after it emerged Johnson had promoted an ally, Chris Pincher, to a senior parliamentary post despite previous allegations of sexual misconduct.

Many of the MPs, who look to have finally ousted Johnson, will now be among those vying to replace him as prime minister. Suella Braverman is the UK's Attorney General and officially announced she would be running for leader of the Conservative Party before Johnson resigned. Here are some of the frontrunners to succeed him.

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LIZ TRUSS

The foreign minister is the champion of the Conservative Party's grassroots, regularly topping polls of party members.

Truss has a carefully cultivated public image and was photographed in a tank last year, echoing a famous 1986 photo of Britain's first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

The 46-year-old spent the first two years of Johnson's premiership as international trade secretary. Despite backing Remain in the 2016 referendum, Truss eventually championed Brexit. Last year she was appointed as Britain's lead negotiator with the European Union.

JEREMY HUNT

The former foreign secretary, 55, finished second to Johnson in the 2019 leadership contest. He would offer a far less controversial leadership style after the turmoil of Johnson's premiership.

Over the last two years, Hunt has used his experience as a former health secretary to chair parliament's health select committee and has not been tarnished by having served in the current government.

Earlier this year, he said his ambition to become prime minister "hasn't completely vanished."

BEN WALLACE

Defense minister Ben Wallace, 52, has risen in recent months to be the most popular government member with Conservative Party members, according to Conservative Home, thanks to his handling of the Ukraine crisis.

The former soldier began his political career as a member of Scotland's devolved assembly in May 1999 before being first elected to the Westminster parliament in 2005.

He was security minister from 2016 until taking on his current role three years later. His department evacuated British nationals and allies from Afghanistan last year and has been responsible for sending weapons to Kyiv.

RISHI SUNAK

Sunak, who resigned as finance minister on Tuesday, saying the British public "rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously," was until last year the favorite to succeed Johnson.

The former investment banker, was responsible for a COVID-19 economic rescue package, including a costly jobs retention program that averted mass unemployment. However, the scheme was estimated to have paid out $4.2 billion in error or to fraudsters.

Sunak later faced criticism for not giving enough cost-of-living support to poorer households. Revelations about his wealthy wife's non-domiciled tax status and a fine he received, along with Johnson, for breaking COVID lockdown rules have damaged his standing.

His tax-and-spend budget last year put Britain on course for its biggest tax burden since the 1950s, undermining his claims to favor lower taxes.

SAJID JAVID

Javid was the first cabinet minister to resign in protest over accusations that Johnson misled the public over what he knew about Pincher's sexual harassment allegations.

Another former banker, Javid has served in several cabinet roles, most recently as health minister. He resigned as Johnson's finance minister in 2020. On the backbenches, Javid took on a paid role as a senior adviser to the U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase.

The son of Pakistani Muslim immigrant parents, he is an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, who advocated a small state and free market capitalism.

NADHIM ZAHAWI

The newly appointed finance minister was vaccines minister when Britain had one of the world's fastest rollouts of COVID jabs.

Zahawi's personal story as a refugee from Iraq who came to Britain as a child sets him apart from other contenders.

Now, Zahawi reportedly owns property worth over $100 million. Early in his parliamentary career, he "apologized unreservedly" after claiming expenses for electricity costs for a horse stables on a property he owned.

He co-founded polling company YouGov before entering parliament in 2010. His last job was as education secretary. Zahawi said last week that it would be a "privilege" to be prime minister at some stage.

PENNY MORDAUNT

The former defense secretary was sacked by Johnson when he became prime minister after she endorsed his rival Hunt during the last leadership contest.

Mordaunt was a passionate supporter of leaving the European Union and made national headlines by participating in a now-defunct reality TV diving show, called 'Splash!'

Currently a junior trade minister, Mordaunt called the lockdown-breaking parties in government "shameful."

Other, less likely, candidates who have either been mentioned by commentators and colleagues, or declared an interest in running are Suella Braverman, Tom Tugendhat, Steve Baker, Priot Patel and Grant Shapps.

Below is the latest YouGov polling for who might replace Johnson as Conservative Party leader: 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after announcing his resignation as Conservative leader on Thursday, held phone talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Johnson promised Zelenskyy that he will continue to work with partners to end the grain blockade in the coming weeks, a spokesperson for Johnson said.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Johnson for the "decisive and uncompromising" support for Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian president's office.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday made a statement to the country after reports of his planned resignation as the Conservative Party leader.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday made a resignation statement to the country after dozens of his ministers quit the government.

"It is clearly now the will of the Parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and so a new prime minister," Johnson said outside 10 Downing Street.

Johnson said the process of choosing the new leader should begin now and the timetable would be announced next week.

He added that he will continue to serve as prime minister "until a new leader is in place."

After days of battling for his job, Johnson had been deserted by all but a handful of his closest allies after the latest in a series of scandals broke their willingness to support him.

The Conservatives will now have to elect a new leader, a process which could take weeks or months, with details to be announced next week. 

A snap YouGov poll found that defense minister Ben Wallace was the favorite among Conservative Party members to replace Johnson, followed by junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt and former finance minister Rishi Sunak.

While Johnson said he would stay on, opponents and many in his own party said he should leave immediately and hand over to his deputy, Dominic Raab.

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said he would call a parliamentary confidence vote if the Conservatives did not remove Johnson at once.

"We can't go on with this prime minister clinging on for months and months to come," he said.

The crisis comes as Britons are facing the tightest squeeze on their finances in decades, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with soaring inflation, and the economy forecast to be the weakest among major nations in 2023 apart from Russia.

It also follows years of internal division sparked by the narrow 2016 vote to leave the European Union, and threats to the make-up of the United Kingdom itself with demands for another Scottish independence referendum, the second in a decade.

Support for Johnson had evaporated during one of the most turbulent 24 hours in recent British political history, epitomized by finance minister, Nadhim Zahawi, who was only appointed to his post on Tuesday, calling on his boss to resign.

Zahawi and other cabinet ministers went to Downing Street on Wednesday evening, along with a senior representative of those lawmakers not in government, to tell Johnson the game was up.

Initially, Johnson refused to go and seemed set to dig in, sacking Michael Gove, a member of his top ministerial team who was one of the first to tell him he needed to resign, in a bid to reassert his authority.

But by Thursday morning as a slew of resignations poured in, it became clear his position was untenable.

"You must do the right thing and go now," Zahawi tweeted.

Some of those that remained in post, including Wallace, said they were only doing so because they had an obligation to keep the country safe.

There had been so many ministerial resignations that the government had been facing paralysis. Despite his impending departure, Johnson began appointing ministers to vacant posts.

"It is our duty now to make sure the people of this country have a functioning government," Michael Ellis, a minister in the Cabinet Office department which oversees the running of government, told parliament.

(With input from agencies)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday made a statement to the country after reports of his planned resignation as the Conservative Party leader.

A full cabinet has been appointed in the UK government, the BBC reported on Thursday, amid a flurry of resignations. 

Downing Street has appointed Greg Clark as the new leveling up secretary, Kit Malthouse as the chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, James Cleverly as the education secretary, and former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to be Welsh secretary.

Shailesh Vara has been appointed secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Downing Street said.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is cutting short her trip to G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Indonesia and returning to London, BBC has reported.

She will issue a statement "shortly," said the report.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to resign as Conservative leader after growing calls for him to step down, BBC reported on Thursday.

The BBC said Johnson will continue as Prime Minister until the autumn. It said a Conservative leadership race will take place this summer and that a new prime minister will be in place in time for the Tory party conference in October.

A spokesperson for Number 10 told Sky News, "The prime minister will make a statement to the country today."

Nadhim Zahawi, the UK's newly appointed chancellor of the exchequer, on Thursday called on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to step down, Sky News reported.

Education Secretary Michelle Donelan resigned on Thursday after succeeding Zahawi on the role two days ago.

A total of 55 officials have resigned from the UK government, according to the tally of Sky News. 

Brandon Lewis has resigned as secretary of Britain's Northern Ireland after Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to step down from his position, Sky News reported Thursday.

His resignation was followed by that of Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Helen Whately, Security Minister Damian Hinds, and Science Minister George Freeman.

So far, a total of 53 British government members have resigned, according to the report.

(Cover: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis leaves Downing Street after attending Cabinet meeting, London, England, March 8, 2022. /CFP)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defied pressure to quit on Wednesday from senior ministers and a mounting rebellion within his ruling Conservative Party, saying he will fight off any attempts to oust him over a series of scandals.

He fired one of his top cabinet allies late Wednesday, a fellow Brexiteer and Housing Secretary, as he mounts a fight against a cabinet revolt.

"He sacked Michael Gove," Johnson's parliamentary private secretary James Duddridge told Sky News. "The prime minister is in buoyant mood and will fight on."

After more than 40 resignations from within the government and with many Conservative lawmakers in open revolt, some cabinet ministers went to Downing Street to tell Johnson he needed to go, a source said.

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In Quotes: Boris Johnson's party turns against him

One encouraged him to make a dignified exit by setting his own timetable rather than face a confidence vote. Many lawmakers said it was now a question of when, not if, he has to go.

On Wednesday night, the attorney general for England and Wales, Suella Braverman, called on Johnson to resign and became the first cabinet minister to say they would run to replace him in any Conservative Party leadership contest.

"I do think the time has come for the prime minister to step down," Braverman said on ITV. She said she did not want to resign from her post. "If there is a leadership contest, I will put my name into the ring."

Dozens have publicly criticized Johnson's integrity after he was forced to apologize for appointing a lawmaker to a role involved in pastoral care, and had not recalled being briefed that the minister had been the subject of complaints about sexual misconduct.

It is the latest crisis to hit his administration after months of scandals and missteps, including a damning report into parties at his Downing Street residence and office that broke strict COVID-19 lockdown rules and saw him fined by police.

Duddridge said Johnson and the newly-appointed finance minister Nadhim Zahawi would set out a new joint plan for the economy next week which would include tax cuts.

Earlier Johnson told a parliamentary committee: "I am not going to step down and the last thing this country needs, frankly, is an election."

Johnson also refused to say if he would try to stay in the job even if he lost a confidence vote from his own lawmakers. That could come next week if they agree to change the party's rules, which only allow one such challenge a year. He narrowly won a similar vote last month.

(With input from agencies)

The United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he was not going to resign, and that the last thing the country needed was a national election.

"I am not going to step down and the last thing this country needs, frankly, is an election," he told a parliamentary committee, when asked to confirm he would not seek to call an election rather than resign if he lost a vote of confidence.

(With input from Reuters)