MNI BRIEF: UK PM Johnson Says He Resigns

Boris Johnson said he is stepping down as leader of the UK Conservative Party, confirming media reports swirling around Westminster all morning that he would stand aside as Prime Minister as soon as a replacement party head is elected.

Johnson, who has been under growing pressure to stand down in recent weeks, has seen more than 50 of his ministers resign in the previous 48 hours. In a statement from Downing Street, he said a new cabinet would serve until a new leader was in place.

The election of a new leader will start next week, Johnson said, with the 1922 committee of backbench MPs likely to start the initial hustings as soon as Tuesday.