new south wales, a bracing for more heavy rainfall. people living along the coast, north of sydney, and want to prepare for potential flooding in the coming hours. the hunter region has already recorded the highest flood levels in 70 years, and a natural disaster has been declared in 23 locations. it is approaching 1130 hours g m t. that's 1230 in the british capital with the u. k. prime minister, boys johnson on the verge of resignation were expecting johnston to speak outside downing street shortly. i will bring you that live as and when it happens in the meantime, let's you said in political commentator, jonathan list 2 choices, sir, via skype part from london. jonathan, your thoughts on ah, well, what's been a crazy few days culminating with the what we understand is going to be a resignation. speech by the prime minister and the possibility of him not leaving

office just yet. well this is barbara johnson, my disappear and i is net, he's a time in t cling on to office, cling on his title for as long as he possibly can. and at every single step of the way throughout his career. in fact, he's been enabled by april development d thus saith the last couple days. i conservative adventures and peace ministers. senior ministers have been rounding on him to tell him that the game is off. and now, with all his authority stripped away, he thinks he can pull up one last key, which is to remain in office a 3 whole months that is naked, the preposterous. i cannot understand why so many back benches and letting him do that and agreeing to sun in a temporary can't take a cabinet. there's no need for that. i can search out of late shot of that. got away, right. jacob horace johnson is coming out now. here is like the donation. good afternoon . thank you. it is clearly not the will of the

parliamentary, conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and that for a new prime minister. and i agree with the grey brady, the chairman of our back bench empties that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now. and the time table will be announced next week. and dive of 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 1st 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 wanted to do so. but

because i felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019. and of course i am immensely proud of the achievement of this government from getting brett's it done to settling our relations. i with the continent for over half a century and reclaiming the pala for this country to make its own laws in parliament. getting asshole through the pandemic delivering the faust is vaccine releived in europe. the fastest exit from locked down. and in the last few months, leading the west in standing up to putins aggression and ukraine. a let me now say not to the people of ukraine that i know that we in the u. k. will continue to back your fight for freedom, for as long as it takes. and at the same time, in this country, we've been pushing forward a vast program of investment in infrastructure and skills and technology. the

biggest in a century begins if i have one insight into human beings, it is the genius and talent, and enthusiasm and imagination are evenly distributed throughout the population. but opportunity is not, and that's why we must keep leveling up, keep unleashing the potential ev, every part of the united kingdom. and if we can do that in this country, we will be the most prosperous in europe. and then the last few days, i've tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric, to change governments when we're delivering so much. and when we have such a vast mandate and when we're actually only a handful of points behind and oppose even in mid term after quite a few months, have pretty relentless sledging and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally. and i regret and not to have been successful in those arguments. and of course it's painful and not to be able to see through so

many ideas and, and projects myself. but as we seen at westminster, at the hud instinct is powerful. when the hud moves, it moves, and my friends in politics, no one is remotely indispensable, and are brilliant and darwinian system will produce another leader. equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times. not just helping families to get through it, but changing and improving the way we do things cutting burdens on businesses and families and yes, cutting taxes because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services until that new leader, i say whether he or she may be, i say i will give you as much support as i can. and to you, the british public i know that there will be many people who are relieved. 7

and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. and i want you to know how sad i am to be giving up the best job in the world. but then the brakes. i want to thank carry and our children though, all members of my family who've had to put up with so much the so long. i want to thank the pianist, british civil service for all the help and support that you have given our police are emergency services and of course are fantastic and a chest who at critical moment helped to extend my own period in office as well as our arm services and our agencies that assert admired around the world and are indefatigable conservative party members and supporters whose selfless campaigning makes our democracy possible. i want to thank the wonderful staff here at checkers at to hear number 10 and of course at checkers and dar fantastic prop force

detectives, the one group by the way, and who never leak above all. i want to thank you. the british public for the immense privilege that you have given me. and i want you to know that from now on until the new prime minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on . being prime minister is an education in itself. i've traveled to every part of the united kingdom. and in addition to the beauty of our natural, won't i find so many people possessed of such boundless british originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways that i know that even if things can sometimes seem dark. now our future together is

golden. thank you very much. thank you. or is johnson announcing his resignation from brought he described as the best job in the world leader of the conservative posse in the united kingdom and therefore prime minister. he said that it's clearly the will of the conservative party that there should be a new leader. the process of choosing a new lead up begins now of the time table will be announced next week. and he said, i will serve as a new lead until a new leader is in place. i fought so hard because i felt it was my duty and he's immensely proud of his achievements on ukraine. he said to the ukrainian people that we will continue to back you. that's so bring it out to cirrus poll brennan, who's outside downing street. oh, what did you make of them? oh,

no apology. that was for sure. i'm clearly regret from the prime minister boris johnson. the his family carry a red dress on jacket res morgan's and loyalist staff, up at the far end of the street by some other loyal and peace. supporters of his down at this end of the snake forest johnson. in the middle on the extract that i think is probably the most relevant was the middle there, where he said, i tried to persuade my colleagues, it would be eccentric to change leaders right now, i regret, i was not, it's not to be successful in those arguments. the heard in state in westminster is powerful. he said i, when the heard moves, it moves. no one is remote, me indispensable. that said, it's a rather related realization. by boris johnson, nobody is indispensable. he fought tooth and nail to avoid being ousted from number 10 times. as you say, the time table for his departure is yet to be announced. he says it will be

announced next week. but we know from this morning, but boris johnson is rather keen to stay on in place until the autumn, when a new leader for the conservative party should be in place and time for the annual conservative party conference. in october. there are lots of people who believe that it's frankly not a tenable position. we've got many, many junior ministers and even cabinet ministers who have resigned unwilling to serve on the boris johnson. we've got many members of the back bench conservative party who believe that he is well frankie dangerous and some of the quotes that have been coming out this morning. dominic cummings, for example, his former special advisor, who became his nemesis after. busy so many coming left down the street said to me, forest johnson in power would be to risk carnage. so there is a lot of misgiving about whether or not virus johnson should be allowed to have.

this can take a role or whether he should be asked rather quicker than that perhaps by the end of the week in order to allow somebody like the deputy prime minister dominic rob to provide the kind of can take your administration. that would see us through the summer will pull up the question again. i've done a, i've asked you this before, and you've been very patient with me when i have, but for the benefit of anyone who doesn't, who's watching around the world and doesn't understand how the british political system works. we just seen a prime minister offer his resignation. why isn't there going to be an election now? yeah, i mean, one of the arguments the boys johnson tried to use in order to clean owns upon was to say that even though his back bench m. p 's, the members of his parliamentary party were more and more against him that 14000000 people he had, he said voted for him. but that's simply not the case that's actually not accurate

. here in the u. k, we don't have the kind of presidential system that they have in america. individual members of parliament already elected on the const to see basis. and they represent that constituency, when they come to parliament, that the party with the biggest number of employees then gets the form of government and they get to choose which of them will be prime minister. so the mandate doesn't come from the people. it comes from the party and the fact is the forest johnson. i've lost the party and there was some opinion polls to say he'd lost the country as well. but it's not necessary for them. having changed, prime minister tracks to go back to the country because the mandate comes from the parliamentary party. paul, for the moment of any thanks to day don't 0, paul, brenda reporting live there from downing street. as you saw, moments ago, boris johnston been stepping down as the you case. prime minister at us out was here as jonah hall explains now, he often made divisive, uncontroversial decisions during his time in that talk job, not vote bras. he led his party to a lens,

slide election victory in 2019. but boris johnson was to be undone, both by events in which he conspired, and also by his own character flaws that critics say made him unfit for high office or still some has no say so vision. he has, there is noon, nor leadership before him. it was always about becoming, i mean they're not that being filings that and he, i think he knows himself well enough that he knows he does not have the skills that you need to be a successful prime minister. sonya panell was a reporter working alongside johnson in the brussels bureau of the daily telegraph . she describes a man with a lot of the child in him who enjoyed getting into and out of scrapes. a man drawn to calles and the chaos means that he can sort of through these things going along elise, all this noise, all this commotion as the person with the great i, dale, the width the witticism. and that is what appeals to him for his johnson. the

corona virus pandemic was a perfect storm of crises and calles that blew attention away from other problems. despite his promise to get brakes, it done, britain remains mud and dispute with its biggest trading part of the european union . the economy is underperforming. the cost of living, rising health and education systems faltering success with the vaccine program helped obscure johnson's own indecision and delays in following scientific advice that contributed to one of the highest death tolls. in the developed world, former chief advisor, dominant cummings, described the prime minister's leadership as erratic in decisive distracted. nobody could find a way around the problem of the problem is that just like a shopping trolley smashing from one side to the other, the shopping trolley metaphors quickly be seized upon by the opposition. so he's

doing what he always does. crushing over to the other side of the aisle, boris johnson learned early to be self sufficient in a family of competitive siblings with a mother who suffered ill health and a father who was frequently absent. at the elite british boarding school eton, he came to believe ordinary rules did not apply to him. in the infamous bullington . drinking club at oxford, the outward persona of a jovial buffoon, disguised and in an ambition for power. and as both a journalist for the times newspaper and a minister in opposition, johnson was accused of lying and fire. these then, with the qualities he brought to politics as mayor of london as foreign secretary, and then his prime minister entitlement dishonesty and indifferent. this is really the 1st time in his life where he's ever actually been held to account for anything he's always been don't. he's always been excused,

is always been reasons made for him. for his 5 behaviors, there was wide support for his handling of the war in ukraine, but johnson never recovered from the scandal known as party gate. he received a police fine for attending a lockdown party in downing street, making him the 1st british prime minister to break the law while in office. a civil service report into a string of similar gatherings described a failure of leadership. eventually 148 of his own, m. p. 's, 40 percent of the parliamentary party turned against him. in a vote of no confidence country. maurice johnson limped on for a bit again. but the reasons to forgive him had run out. jona, how al jazeera, let's bring him once again. jonathan lis, political commentator, who georgia spa, skype from london, jonathan johnson said he's sad to be giving up the best job in the worlds to the public. he says, i know they'll be many who are relieved that i'm going from what you were saying

a little early. i take it, you go one of the me and the majority of the country. i that the biggest law for me, hey, when he's that they might be people who are disappointed. i mean, i call thing he, those people off or is johnson has the lowest approval res things. i think that any prime minister in recent history and that has been the case for very long time, but he refused to see the rights from the wolf. a tory policy whips were saying last night that he would probably anyhow 60, and he's supporting 80000 evolutionary confidence. this man has exhausted every drop of trust and good will from his own policy and from the country. it lodged that me nice sympathy to him. everything that has happened, he's brought on himself. how that is, he got a form, a caretaker, government. well, this is the latest outrage that we were discussing a maintenance guy. how can someone who's had thousands of his own ministers writing letters to say that he's not fate to said, how can that man now be fit to serve for 3 months?

and how can those people go back into his government to says all the arguments that the concept is we're using a to prop johnson not in the last months i now being used against him. so they talked about the cost of living crisis about ukraine, for example, are getting on with a jewel. those are the reasons why we cannot have a can't say government. why we cannot have a paralysis. i'm like, boys jokes is not the man to lead us 3 this. we need to have a very, very brief period of the caretaker class. i just don't make rob, who is a dad see prime minister, a role designed to moments like this. while the consent to select anita and then that leader needs to hit the ground running and deal with a very, very real problems the britain faces and obviously the world. but isn't dominic robbed the deputy prime minister a good be regarded in the same light as, as the prime minister having shoved him so loyally. it doesn't actually matter because he's at that see prime minister. he's not for his johnson. he doesn't have of the, he has a lot of flaws and he doesn't have the same issues with honesty and trust integrity

. the johnson as the, the cabinet is not rounds or raw, the rounds of johnson. this is a personal issue that johnston needs to go. rob has not disgraced himself. i'll see what he did, a very bad job in afghanistan, but he's that sci fi minister. i think the country would accept him as a caretaker for a very short period of time. while the cons that to the legs, the media that has to be before labor, the key to remember here is the boys. johnson doesn't actually have a stay on this anymore. he's exhausted his authority in the policy does not want him to stay on slow. tell you that he cannot. what about the conservative party itself a if, if there were an election tomorrow they'd lose according to the opinion polls they would not be in government, don't be able to form a government again. how much damage has he done to the reputation of the wider conservative party? i think it is safe to say that forest johnson is emphatically trashed his policy. and i think that he'll care very much about that because he was never in this

policy is in his name self, but his policy should have been wiser. and they should have known you and what he was 3 years ago when they made in finance, to the public, the concept of policy. now, a festival, the johnson has tarnished the bronze, they marched, possibly the under pad in the next few years. second rule that are very few candidates on who are able to take the mantles, the, even though johnson was terrible, the candidates to replace and might be just as bad in any license. so anyway, be i would say i rally the policy or country on the 3rd thing is that we have a massive cost of living prices, which the conservatives of so fall showing themselves completely unfit to deal with . and that is not going to change overnights. so do you think they'll pay a general election sooner or sooner rather than later or will a new lead and try to to, to hold on. they have what, 2 years before a general election has to be cooled, will at least attempt to try to turn the reputation of the conservative party around it's a really interesting question. on the one hand,

you might say that if they see that going to leave the next election, they should stay in power as long as they can, maybe to try and rebuild the situation as, as your major date. when he to cavers prime minister in 1090. 0, you could have a situation where they think that, that kind of a boost with a neat prime minister with a honeymoon period, and that is the maintenance guys, the country thought. so gordon brown was contemplating in 2007 when he became prime minister. he done things, he both filled out election and it all went downhill. came off to that. so he's rather take say for boys johnson is going to is a very difficult position. and is johnson's departure good or bad years for that for the opposition labor party? another really good question. i said, now is there a few weeks ago that boy johnson was laid was greatest asset? i think not still the tree and the labor party would have benefited on from johnston, dragging this out dragon the chaos. but i don't think looking at the possible

candidates to take over the night off the will be particularly worried. i'm looking at least trust, for example, if a candidate, she's not any trouble them a tool, she can't rally the country where she see knock is damaged himself massively. if he munches to take a takeover, castorena caste, all the leisure to lay off the still seems to be in a good position, provided he doesn't get fined by the police. that in the next week was he richard changed everything again for brett, for a supposed look down reached last. yes, i suppose it is very complicated in a fun events. the point is that the conserves epoxy is in a real predicament, not just the personality, but a to policy. and a new leader won't change that the needs and might even have the teresa to seem to be changing us. and that is good. nice. they always got to talk to jonathan manufacture date for being with us. jonathan leslie and london next escalate to westminster. al zeros were challenges outside the houses of parliament,

or the prime minister, the outgoing prime minister, boris johnson, or rory, assuring the public but from now until a new prime minister is appointed. the public's interests will be served that the government will continue to function. how can that be that is a good question or that you've been accused of her asking as a string of questions as another one. it's going to be very difficult. devoris johnson at, in this kind of massively lame duck periods that he has between now and whenever it is that he steps down to maintain the kind of authority that he needs to cobble together a functioning government. he or in the minutes before he stepped out and made that resonate resignation speech, announced a string of cabinet replacements, essentially trying to plug the holes that have been left. but there are so many

holes that it's essentially like trying to plug a sieve. he has an outs, people like james cleverly to become education minister greg clark, so become leveling up and housing and communities minister, robert bucklin, the secretary of state for wales care, stammer the leader of the opposition in parliament yesterday said that this was essentially like the charge of the light weight brigades, a pretty brutal assessments of the kind of quality of people that boris johnson can, can still counts on as being loyal. look, there is, are an old cliche in westminster that a week is a long time in politics. will i, i think that unit of measurements at the moment is, is quitely inadequate. you know, try an hour, try try 5 minutes. there are many, many, or back bench. and her former cabinet members here who would like things to

move much, much faster than boris johnson is talking about. they want him to go. now i was speaking to one earlier andrew britain who said that he's there. so there are further sleaze allegations. he wouldn't tell me what that are yet to come out about orest johnson. and that his credibility is so tarnished that even standing on as a kind of caretaker prime minister, is going to be so damaging to the conservative party that they want to see the back of him right now. they talk about caretakers are stepping up and i'm taking over like the head of the 1922 commission. but yet they want at the very least to have a narrowed field of 2 candidates by the end of the next 2 weeks. that's when a parliament goes on recess in 2 weeks time. so they want to at least have the field narrowed narrow down to to that they can then put to the party membership and have

a replacement lined up as soon as possible. a very, a briefly, rory, are there any candidates within the, the party or who could satisfy the but the wider conservative party membership and indeed the back bench m p. 's there as, as leader who isn't any one who isn't tainted by, by being too close to boris jones? well there's, there's the matter of taint, that's, that's one thing which is going to make it very difficult for any replacement to unify the party. there is also a matter of. busy divisions within the party itself, schisms in the kind of ideological platforms that's, that underpin the policy. now the conservative party has always prided itself on being a broad church that can unites many different ideologies and many different her. in the last election, there was much made of the fact that they were voters. and for us to talk about

this in his resignation, speech, voters who cast their ballots for the conservative party who had never done so before working class boat is in the north of england, who traditionally for generations have voted labor. now there are clear signs at the moment that that coalition that the conservative party built in the last election is fracturing that many of the people that they could count on. recently, like working classmates to the north of i conservative or for longer than that, say more affluent votes in south are starting to fracture often and, and choose different parties again, you have fractures within the parliamentary party itself as well. you have the brick set faction, you have the kind of a liberal economic faction. all of these different groups are going to be agitating for their candidates, their prof. preferred people to be in that top job. and it's going to be brutally

difficult for the party as a whole, to come together and, and unify around one person as much as they would need to do to win a next general election. okay, roy, chance live there in westminster. many thanks and aid. let's just remind you of what has happened within the last hour. the u. k. is prime minister for us, johnson has announced his resignation after 2 days of political high drama. a prime minister made a statement outside his official residence in downing street and said that he was sad to be leaving what he described as the best job in the world. the rain ab, okay, to here to continue our coverage. in the next few moments. i'll see you again. ah ah

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