British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce his resignation as British prime minister on Thursday, the BBC reported, after being abandoned by newly-appointed ministers and more than 50 others in a rebellion that had left government dangerously close to paralysis.
With eight ministers, including two secretaries of state, resigning in just last two hours, an isolated and powerless Johnson was set to bow to the inevitable and declare he was stepping down later, media reports said.
"The Prime Minister will make a statement to the country today," a spokesperson said.
After days of battling for his job, Johnson had been abandoned by all but a handful of allies. It was far cry from when Johnson, 58, rose to power in 2019 when he won a large majority, capturing votes in parts of Britain that had never supported his Conservative Party before.
Johnson had been hanging onto power despite the resignation of a string of his top ministers. On Thursday, the man he appointed as finance minister less than 48 hours earlier publicly urged Johnson to quit.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace also called on Johnson to quit but said he would stay in his role to protect national security.
Sun Political Editor Harry Cole said Johnson was aiming to carry on as prime minister until a new leader was chosen later in the summer, a task that can take up to two months.