Boris johnson
Boris Johnson insists he's leaving with his 'head held high'
On Wednesday, Johnson told a febrile UK parliament that he would leave office with his "head held high" despite the downfall of his scandal-hit leadership.
Johnson, who quit as Tory leader following a series of scandals and an exodus of cabinet ministers, divided opinion on the world stage, eliciting strong reactions from many countries and their leaders.
Here are some of the highlights from his six-minute resignation speech delivered outside No 10 Downing Street.
Boris Johnson resigned on 7 July 2022 as leader of Britain's Conservative Party, following the resignations of more than 50 ministers.
The timetable for a Tory leadership race will be announced next week, he said, after three tumultuous years in office defined by Brexit, the Covid pandemic and non-stop controversy over his reputation for mendacity.
Pressure has been mounting for him to throw in the towel - after an influx of sudden resignations from some members of his cabinet.
More than 40 ministers and aides, including three cabinet members, have quit the government since late Tuesday, with resignations continuing to trickle in overnight.
The former education minister was parachuted into the Treasury late Tuesday after predecessor Rishi Sunak's shock resignation over the culture of scandal plaguing Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Downing Street said Queen Elizabeth II had approved the appointment of Zahawi.
Rishi Sunak resigned as finance minister, and Sajid Javid as health secretary on Tuesday night. Both said they could no longer tolerate the culture of scandal that has stalked Johnson for months.
Both countries have defended the scheme, which involves Britain deporting asylum seekers to the east African country located thousands of miles away from Britain.
His ruling Conservatives are tipped to lose both contests, for the parliamentary seats of Tiverton and Honiton in southwest England and Wakefield in the north, after both Tory MPs resigned in disgrace.
It is the latest escalation in the row between the two neighbours which have a decades-long history of fraught ties and has recently seen sporadic clashes on their shared border.
The beleaguered leader has insisted that Monday evening's dramatic ballot, which saw 211 Tory party lawmakers support him remaining prime minister but 148 vote against, was a "conclusive" result.
The Brexit figurehead called the 211-148 split a "convincing result, a decisive result".
A spate of scandals have tarred Johnson's image in the past year, most notably the so-called 'Partygate' controversy which saw him become the first serving UK prime minister found to have broken the law.
Asked if he agreed with defence intelligence assessments that fighting could drag on until the end of next year, he told reporters: "The sad thing is that is a realistic possibility."
The embattled UK leader has weathered the initial storm after being penalised last week for breaching COVID-19 lockdown laws on one occasion in 2020, doggedly defying calls to resign.
Debate in Britain about transgender rights has become ever more acrimonious, and others in Johnson's government have said it should be left to sporting bodies to decide on who gets to compete.