Every word of Boris Johnson's farewell speech as he confirms resignation

Boris Johnson has made an announcement outside Number 10 confirming his resignation as Prime Minister.

In the speech, which was met with applause from supporters outside Downing Street, Mr Johnson said it was now clear ‘there should be a new Prime Minister’. He said he will remain in place until a new leader takes over.

Mr Johnson said he remained ‘immensely proud’ of his achievements as Prime Minister, which he said included ‘getting Brexit done’ and settling relations with the Continent. He also thanked members of the public and addressed the people in Ukraine, saying the UK will ‘continue to back their fight’.

READ MORE: ''Good riddance": Manchester doesn’t mourn Boris.... but who replaces him?

He also expressed his disappointment at 'giving up the best job in the world', and said a timetable will be announced next week for the rollout of a new leader. His resignation came after more than 50 MPs quit in the last two days.

“It is clearly now the will of the Parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister.

“And I’ve agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our back bench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now.

“The timetable will be announced next week and I’ve today appointed a Cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.

“So I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting Conservative for the first time, thank you for that incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979.

“And the reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue, to deliver that mandate in person, was not just because I