Boris Johnson speech LIVE: Get all the latest news and updates

Boris Johnson speech LIVE: PM quits and will give statement ‘from 1pm’ – but Keir Starmer and Tory rebels demand he leave TODAY

Follow MailOnline’s live blog for all the latest news and updates as Boris Johnson prepares to quit as Prime Minister:

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Former technologies minister Chris Philp has indicated he would return to Government if required, now that Boris Johnson is set to resign as Conservative Party leader.

Mr Philp, who resigned only hours ago, told Sky News he would not refuse to help out the Government if it needed to pass legislation through the Commons, but he was not looking for his job back.

He said: ‘I think all of us in public life are here to serve the country and if I was able to do that in whatever capacity, then obviously I’d be happy to serve.

‘If I was asked to help out with getting the Online Safety Bill through Parliament, okay, I would be willing to help out in whatever way I could, in any capacity, whoever the leader was.

‘I’m not asking for that (his old post). I’m not expecting it. I resigned and when you resign, you resign.’

He also said that he had not given any thought to the best candidate to replace Mr Johnson.

Really enjoying the Benny Hill theme playing over this interview with Chris Philp, and his increasingly agonised look as it becomes clear it's not going to stop. pic.twitter.com/8LltyLkCTd

Former schools minister Robin Walker said that he hoped Nadhim Zahawi and Sajid Javid would both run to be the next Conservative Party leader.

Appearing on Sky News, he said: ‘I think there’ll be a number of strong candidates coming forward in the days ahead.

‘I personally hope that having shown the integrity that he has, and consistently showing leadership and integrity, Sajid Javid will be among them.’

He also said that Mr Zahawi had made a ‘strong start’ to the role of Chancellor by wanting to prioritise tax cuts.

‘I want to see what is the field that emerges. I want to see how those people perform and how they answered the questions on how we can deliver on that crucial 2019 manifesto,’ he told Sky News.

Boris Johnson is expected to make ministerial appointments shortly as he seeks to continue in office despite his imminent resignation as Tory leader.

‘The Prime Minister will shortly make new appointments to his ministerial team,’ a No 10 source said.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner asked ‘how will a half-empty Cabinet run the country until October’ and said even if Boris Johnson goes ‘it’s the same old Tory party in Government’.

She said: ‘The Prime Minister has said he will stay on as caretaker. How many more months of chaos does this country have to endure?

‘With dozens of ministerial posts unfilled, who on earth will join the Prime Minister’s Government now? And how will a half-empty Cabinet run the country until October?

‘They will try desperately to change the person at the top, but it’s the same old Tory party in Government.’

People will ‘rue the day’ they forced the Prime Minister to resign, a Conservative former minister has warned in the House of Commons.

Sir Christopher Church, who represents the Christchurch constituency, told MPs: ‘May I thank the Prime Minister for his great service to our nation, and also to the people of Ukraine. And I think people will rue the day that he was forced to resign.

‘Can I say to my right honourable friend, isn’t there a lot to be said for having a smaller Cabinet, fewer ministers and hardly any parliamentary private secretaries? And can we have a pilot to show how successful that’s going to be?’

Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis replied: ‘Well, he makes a perfectly interesting point, but it’s somewhat outside the range of my responsibilities.’

Arch-Brexiteer Steve Baker said he is ‘seriously’ thinking about throwing his hat in the ring for the top job.

He told BBC News: ‘People will know that in the last seven of the 12 years I’ve been in Parliament I have provided leadership and organisation through really massive crises, whether it’s been Brexit or Covid, race relations, net zero.

‘So, of course, I’ve taken a lot of calls and meetings with potential leaders. Now I’m seriously thinking whether I should do it because, you know, I got into politics because I thought I wanted an MP I always agreed with, well maybe I’d like a prime minister that could be counted on to do what I thought best.

‘So, I know what I’m looking for – fierce resolve, humility, integrity, a willingness to do what’s actually right for the long and short-term of this country.

‘So, of course, I’m seriously considering standing because Conservative Home members consistently put me in their top 10, so I should respect them and take that seriously.’

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, is cutting short an official trip to Indonesia and will issue a statement shortly, sources close to her said.

Ms Truss is widely seen as a potential leadership contender.

The ‘business of Government continues’, Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis has told MPs after Labour called an urgent question on the functioning of Government.

Responding to deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner’s question, he said: ‘As the House will be aware, it is widely reported that the Prime Minister is about to make an important statement shortly.

‘I can confirm that it is correct that the Prime Minister will speak shortly. I cannot pre-empt the Prime Minister’s statement and the House and nation will hear more imminently.

‘In the meantime, the business of Government continues, supported in the usual way by our excellent civil service. There will be continue to be ministers of the crown in place including in all great offices of state. We must continue to serve our country, constituents and the general public first and foremost.’

Tory peer and pollster Lord Hayward said that he thinks there may be pressure for Boris Johnson to stand aside and for Dominic Raab to become acting prime minister.

He also said there will likely be ‘up to 10 people’ openly considering putting themselves forward to be Conservative leader.

Lord Hayward told BBC News: ‘There is a possibility, I would have thought, that because many of the ministers have resigned over integrity and decency issues, that there might be pressure for Boris Johnson to stand aside and Dominic Raab act as Deputy Prime Minister, acting prime minister pro tem.’

He said there will be ‘a lot of candidates from all sorts of sides of the Tory party’ in the leadership election.

Graham Brady told Boris Johnson ‘it’s over, it’s time to go’ this morning after telling the PM that he had lost the majority of support in the Tory party.

The claim was made by 1922 deputy chairman Nus Ghani during BBC Woman’s Hours this morning.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has suggested he does not want Boris Johnson to stay until October, saying a new leader is needed ‘as soon as practicable’.

He tweeted: ‘What a depressing state of affairs. So much needless damage caused.

‘We now need a new leader as soon as practicable. Someone who can rebuild trust, heal the country, and set out a new, sensible and consistent economic approach to help families.

‘I’m on Teesside today launching a £400m investment – a new offshore wind factory that will employ hundreds of local people.

‘Westminster is a mess, but this investment – and those jobs – will outlast any PM. The wheels of Government must continue in the meantime.’

Soaring energy prices and inflation threaten to tip the UK into recession while government debt levels could more than treble unless taxes are hiked, the UK fiscal watchdog has warned.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said the UK Government has already spent as much this year, 1.25% of GDP, to help households cope with the cost-of-living crisis as it did supporting the economy through the financial crisis.

In its fiscal risks and sustainability report, the OBR predicts that debt could rise to over 100% of GDP by 2052-53 and reach 267% of GDP in 50 years if upward pressures on health, pensions and social care spending, and the loss of motoring taxes, are factored in.

But it warned that debt could jump by nearly 320% in 50 years’ time, with future shocks taken into account and without fiscal policy being tightened.

The OBR said bringing debt back to 75% of GDP, the level at which it stabilised in the Government’s pre-pandemic March 2020 Budget, ‘would need taxes to rise, spending to fall, or a combination of both’.

This would amount to 1.5% of GDP, or £37 billion a year, of additional tightening at the beginning of each decade over the next 50 years, its report showed.

Conservative MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Nick Gibb tweeted: ‘As well as resigning as party leader the PM must resign his office.

‘After losing so many ministers, he has lost the trust and authority required to continue.

‘We need an acting PM who is not a candidate for leader to stabilise the government while a new leader is elected.’

It comes as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister James Duddridge entered Number 10 Downing Street.

Boris Johnson’s former advisor Dominic Cummings wrote on Twitter: ‘Evict TODAY or he’ll cause CARNAGE, even now he’s playing for time & will try to stay

‘No ‘dignity’, no ‘interim while leadership contest’.

‘Raab shd be interim PM by evening.’

Unbelievable turn of events for a man who just days earlier had vowed to be PM until the mid-2030s.

Veteran Tory MP and former Brexit Secretary David Davis has said he is ‘not too bothered’ about Boris Johnson possibly remaining as Prime Minister until later this year.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The simple truth, this is going to take a month or two.

‘We’re hearing from people who were happy to be in Cabinet one week ago that we have now got to do this in five minutes flat.

‘I’m not too bothered about the idea of Boris staying in place until we’ve got a new leadership.’

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on whether the Queen has had any communication with Boris Johnson this morning.

The Queen is at Windsor Castle and the Court Circular recorded that she held her weekly audience by telephone with Mr Johnson last night.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has called the notion of making Boris Johnson a caretaker PM ‘ludicrous’, as Nicola Sturgeon said there will be ‘widespread relief’ that Boris Johnson is quitting as Prime Minister.

Scotland’s First Minister also questioned whether it was ‘sustainable’ for him to remain in the role until the autumn.

She tweeted: ‘There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end, though notion of Boris Johnson staying on as PM until autumn seems far from ideal, and surely not sustainable?

‘Boris Johnson was always manifestly unfit to be PM and the Tories should never have elected him leader or sustained him in office for as long as they have.

‘But the problems run much deeper than one individual.

‘The Westminster system is broken.’

The Tory party has fallen into disarray over the crisis in government which began with Boris Johnson’s undignified struggle for power the past 24 hours.

Richard Graham, Tory MP for Gloucester, has stepped down as trade envoy to several south-east Asian nations after 10 years in the role, stating it is vital to ‘have full confidence in the leadership and integrity of the government that I represent’.

But Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey has said she will remain in office to ensure the ‘wheels of government keep turning’.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘It is good news for the country that Boris Johnson has resigned as Prime Minister.

‘But it should have happened long ago.

‘He was always unfit for office. He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale.

‘And all those who have been complicit should be utterly ashamed.

‘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.

‘They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound.

‘Twelve years of economic stagnation. Twelve years of declining public services. Twelve 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.’

George Freeman, who announced he was resigning as science minister today, said Boris Johnson must apologise to the Queen and advise her to call for a caretaker prime minister.

He tweeted: ‘Boris Johnson needs to hand in the seals of office, apologise to Her Majesty and advise her to call for a caretaker prime minister.

‘To take over today so that ministers can get back to work and we can choose a new Conservative leader to try and repair the damage and rebuild trust.’

Environment minister Rebecca Pow has become the latest minister to resign from Boris Johnson’s Government.

She tweeted: ‘This week I’ve been at home with Covid-19.

‘Earlier this morning I tendered my resignation as Environment Minister. Values, integrity and the morals by which I live are at stake, and the needs of the country must always come first.’

Here is a list of the 57 MPs who have resigned or been sacked from the Government since Tuesday evening.

It is the equivalent of a third of the total ‘payroll vote’ in the House of Commons – the number of MPs who hold positions from which they would have to resign in order to oppose the Government.

The 57 comprises six Cabinet ministers, 22 ministers, 22 parliamentary private secretaries, four trade envoys and three vice-chairs or deputy chairs of the Conservative party.

All departures are resignations unless otherwise stated.

1. Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

2. Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer

3. Andrew Murrison, trade envoy to Morocco

4. Bim Afolami, Conservative Party vice-chairman

5. Saqib Bhatti, parliamentary private secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care

6. Jonathan Gullis, parliamentary private secretary at the Northern Ireland Office

7. Nicola Richards, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Transport

8. Virginia Crosbie, parliamentary private secretary at the Welsh Office

9. Theo Clarke, trade envoy to Kenya

10. Alex Chalk, Solicitor General

11. Laura Trott, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Transport

12. Will Quince, parliamentary under-secretary of state for children and families at the Department for Education

13. Robin Walker, minister of state for school standards at the Department for Education

14. Felicity Buchan, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

15. John Glen, minister of state at the Treasury

16. Victoria Atkins, minister of state for prisons and probation at the Ministry of Justice

17. Jo Churchill, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

18. Stuart Andrew, minister of state for housing at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

19. Selaine Saxby, parliamentary private secretary at the Treasury

20. Claire Coutinho, parliamentary private secretary at the Treasury

21. David Johnston, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Education

22. Kemi Badenoch, minister of state at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

23. Julia Lopez, minister of state at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

24. Lee Rowley, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

25. Neil O’Brien, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing &; Communities

26. Alex Burghart, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Education

27. Mims Davies, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Work & Pensions

28. Duncan Baker, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

29. Craig Williams, parliamentary private secretary at the Treasury

30. Mark Logan, parliamentary private secretary at the Northern Ireland Office

31. Rachel Maclean, parliamentary under-secretary of state for safeguarding at the Home Office

32. Mike Freer, parliamentary under-secretary of state for exports at the Department for International Trade

33. Mark Fletcher, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

34. Sara Britcliffe, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Education

35. Ruth Edwards, parliamentary private secretary at the Scottish Office

36. Peter Gibson, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for International Trade

37. David Duiguid, trade envoy for Angola and Zambia

38. James Sunderland, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

39. Jacob Young, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

40. James Daly, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions

41. David Mundell, trade envoy for New Zealand

42. Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (sacked)

43. Danny Kruger, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

44. Simon Hart, Secretary of State for Wales

45. Edward Argar, minister of state at the Department of Health and Social Care

46. Gareth Davies, parliamentary private secretary to the Department of Health and Social Care

47. Brandon Lewis, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

48. Helen Whately, Exchequer secretary at the Treasury

49. Damian Hinds, minister of state for security and borders at the Home Office

50. George Freeman, parliamentary under-secretary of state for science at the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

51. Guy Opperman, parliamentary under-secretary of state for pensions at the Department for Work and Pensions

52. Chris Philp, parliamentary under-secretary of state for technology at the Department for Digital, Media, Culture & Sport

53. James Cartlidge, parliamentary under-secretary of state for justice at the Ministry of Justice

54. Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Education

55. Caroline Johnson, Conservative Party vice-chair

56. Luke Hall, deputy chair of the Conservative Party

57. Rob Butler, parliamentary private secretary at the Foreign Office

Boris Johnson’s rise to power came after he dramatically quit as Theresa May’s Foreign Secretary while her premiership teetered on the verge of collapse.

Johnson is meeting his own end in a similar manner, having suffered mass Government resignations in the last two days.

Here, we examine Johnson’s rise to power, his successes, controversies, and dramatic fall from grace over the last three years.

Following Boris Johnson’s resignation, the Conservative Party will once again begin the search for a new leader.

Here is how the complex process is expected to play out.

– Who is in charge of the leadership contest?

The 1922 Committee, a powerful backbench committee chaired by Sir Graham Brady, has the ultimate responsibility for setting the rules in any Conservative Party leadership contest.

Leadership elections only happen if a Conservative leader resigns or if they lose a vote of confidence among MPs.

Now that Mr Johnson has spoken to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady and agreed to stand down, a leadership contest will be held to replace him as Tory leader.

In the meantime, he will remain as a caretaker prime minister.

The timetable for a contest is agreed by the 1922 Committee and Tory Party HQ, with a new Tory leader expected to be in place by the party conference in October.

– Who gets to vote?

Both Tory MPs and Conservative Party members play a decisive role in electing the next leader.

Tory MPs will whittle down the candidates to a final two through a balloting process, with party members then voting on which of the two candidates they would prefer.

– How does the process work?

The leadership contest usually takes place over two stages, if there are multiple candidates.

The Executive Committee of the 1922 Committee will determine the rules and procedures for how a contest will play out, alongside Conservative Party headquarters.

Those rules, as well as the timetable, are announced by the chair of the 1922 Committee.

The first stage sees the number of candidates whittled down, with a series of ballots.

If necessary, across multiple ballots, the candidates with the lowest number of votes are eliminated and MPs are re-balloted until only two candidates are left.

For example, during the 2019 leadership contest to replace Theresa May, which saw Boris Johnson elected leader, there were initially 10 candidates in the first ballot, with several rounds of balloting taking place until only Mr Johnson and Jeremy Hunt were left.

– What happens then?

At this stage, the two MPs left will face a vote of Conservative Party members.

It means that members of the party will get their say on who should be the leader of the Conservative Party, as well as the next prime minister.

Once again the timetable for such a poll, involving members across the country, is determined by the Executive of the 1922 Committee.

– Could Boris Johnson stand?

It is unlikely. Under the rules, a leader who resigns is not normally eligible to contest any subsequent leadership election.

The pound lifted higher this morning after news broke that Boris Johnson will quit as leader of the Conservative Party.

Sterling and UK stocks all strengthened as investors hoped the news will spell relief for UK assets, which have come under heavy pressure in recent months.

The pound slid to a two-year low against the US dollar yesterday.

However, it moved 0.88% higher against the dollar to 1.201 today while it also rose by 0.74% to 1.177 against the euro.

A No 10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister will make a statement to the country today.’

Boris Johnson is resigning as Conservative Party leader, the BBC has reported.

The PM has spoken to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Graham Brady and agreed to stand down, with a new Tory leader set to be in place by the party conference in October, a No 10 source said.

It comes after around a third of all MPs who held non-Cabinet ministerial positions at the start of the week quit.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has indicated he is staying in post along with a number of others who ‘have an obligation to keep this country safe, no matter who is PM’.

Education Secretary Michelle Donelan has resigned.

In her letter to Boris Johnson, Ms Donelan said: ‘It has been the privilege and honour of my life to serve for our country in the department which I believe is the most important, the true engine of opportunity, the Department of Education.

‘I have spent my career dedicated to trying to create opportunities, or as I call it ‘opening doors’, to ensure that where you are from is no limit to where you end up. I have served on the Education Select Committee, as children and families minister, universities minister, higher and further education minister and most recently Secretary of State.

‘Whilst I remain very worried about the prospect of no ministers in the department as we approach results day – the impact on students is real – as you know, yesterday I pleaded with you to do the right thing and resign for the sake of our country and our party; both are more important than any one person.

‘In life we must always do what we believe is right. Above all I am here to serve the British public. I see no way that you can continue in post, but without a formal mechanism to remove you it seems that the only way that this is only possible is for those of us who remain in Cabinet to force your hand.

‘You have put us in an impossible situation. I am deeply saddened that it has come to this, but as someone who values integrity above all else, I have no choice.

‘I will continue to champion opportunity for our brilliantly talented and inspiring young people from the backbenches.’

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has told Boris Johnson: ‘You must do the right thing and go now.’

In a tweet accompanying a letter, Mr Zahawi – who was appointed less than 48 hours ago – said: ‘Prime Minister: this is not sustainable and it will only get worse: for you, for the Conservative Party and most importantly of all the country.

‘You must do the right thing and go now.’

Here is a list of the 53 MPs who have resigned or been sacked from the Government since Tuesday evening.

It is the equivalent of more than a quarter of the total ‘payroll vote’ in the House of Commons – the number of MPs who hold positions from which they would have to resign in order to oppose the Government.

The 53 comprises five Cabinet ministers, 22 ministers, 21 parliamentary private secretaries, four trade envoys and one vice-chairman.