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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that he will be stepping down once a new leader of the Conservative Party is elected.

He made his announcement outside No10 Downing Street in which he extolled his achievements, including 'getting Brexit done,' fighting COVID-19 and 'leading the west' in standing up for Putin in Ukraine.

He also recalled his big electoral victory two years ago, saying it was an incredible mandate. 

He said that he had spent the last few days trying to persuade his party that it "would be eccentric to change governments" and he had "regret" that he had not managed to win that argument. It was "painful" for him not to be able to see through the changes he wanted to make but had come to the conclusion that "no-one is remotely indespensible".

With his voice breaking with emotion, he said he was "sad to give up the best job in the world" and pledged his loyalty to the next leader, "whoever he or she may be".

"Our future together is golden," he concluded.

The BBC said Johnson will continue as prime minister until the autumn when a party leadership race will be concluded. 

Opposition parties and several members of Johnson's own Conservatives have been insisting, however, that he should leave immediately and hand over to an interim prime minister. The Opposition Labour leader said he would move a motion of no confidence in the Commons if Johnson stays on. 

Downing Street said James Cleverly has been appointed education secretary, replacing Michelle Donelan, who herself was only appointed on Tuesday to replace Nadhim Zahawi when be became chancellor. Greg Clark, the former business secretary was appointed new levelling up secretary.

Johnson's expected resignation came after an exodus of some 60 ministers and aides from his government, many complaining about lies and a lack of integrity within No10, the prime minister's office. 

'He should go now'

Earlier on Thursday, the newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi wrote to Johnson urging him to resign.

The letter came just 24 hours after Zahawi was appointed to the post by Johnson.

In the letter, Zahawi said he had accepted the appointment out of loyalty to the country, but he said the prime minister's position was untenable and he 'should go now'.

"My number one priority has and always will be this great country. When asked to become Chancellor, I did it out of loyalty. Not to a man, but loyalty to this country and all it has given me," he wrote.

The country deserves a government that is not only stable, but which acted with integrity, he added.

"Prime Minister, you know in your heart what the right thing to do is, and go now," he continued.

Resignations

Some 60 ministers and aides, including four cabinet members, have quit the government since late Tuesday, with resignations continuing to trickle in overnight. 

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis announced his resignation early on Thursday morning. The Defence and Home Secretaries also publicly declared that they wanted Johnson to go, but said they would not resign for national security reasons. 

The Conservative leader was confronted at various points on Wednesday by members of his cabinet telling him it was time to go, local media said. 

His reaction was to fire Communities Secretary Michael Gove, reportedly the first to tell him that he must resign for the good of the Tory party and country, with a source close to Johnson telling the BBC that Gove was "a snake". 

Gove was Johnson's right-hand man in Britain's 2016 Brexit referendum campaign, but dramatically chose to run against him for the Conservative leadership that same year, and again in 2019. 

The Sun newspaper said Johnson had told colleagues they would have to "dip (their) hands in blood" to push him out of office. 

Allies of the prime minister said he was going to "fight on", with his parliamentary private secretary (PPS) James Duddridge telling Sky News Johnson was in a "buoyant mood". 

But on Thursday morning, the front pages of British newspapers highlighted the precarious position the scandal-hit leader was in. 

The normally staunchly pro-Conservative Daily Express spoke of Johnson's "last stand", with the Daily Telegraph calling Johnson "mortally wounded", and The Times saying Johnson was "fight(ing) for his life". 

On the other end of the political spectrum, The Guardian condemned Johnson as "desperate and deluded". 

'No functioning government'

The shock resignations of finance chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid late Tuesday set off a chain of others. 

They quit after Johnson apologised for appointing as deputy chief whip senior Conservative MP Chris Pincher, who was forced to step down following accusations he drunkenly groped two men.

Days of shifting explanations had followed Pincher's resignation, with Downing Street at first denying Johnson knew of the prior allegations -- a defence that collapsed after a former top civil servant said he was told in 2019 about another incident.

Tory critics said the Pincher affair had tipped many over the edge, sickened at having to defend what they saw as more lies by Johnson.

Johnson was confronted by members of his cabinet on Wednesday when he returned to Downing Street from a lengthy grilling by a parliamentary committee.

The delegation was said to include hardline interior minister Priti Patel and Nadhim Zahawi, who has barely been 24 hours in his new job as Sunak's successor -- though Johnson's PPS Duddridge later denied Zahawi was there. 

A third member of Johnson's cabinet -- Welsh Secretary Simon Hart -- quit on Wednesday evening. 

Later that night, a health minister and another PPS resigned.

Former head of Downing Street's Policy Unit Camilla Cavendish told the BBC that Britain no longer had "a functioning government".

The calls for Johnson to go persisted late into the evening.  

Attorney General Suella Braverman told broadcaster ITV that while she wouldn't resign, "the balance has tipped now in favour of saying... it's time to go".

She also said she would stand in a leadership contest. 

'Bye, Boris'

A culture of scandal has dogged Johnson for months, including lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street.

The prime minister, who received a police fine for the Covid lockdown-breaking "Partygate" affair, faces a parliamentary probe into whether he lied to MPs about the revelations.

Johnson only narrowly survived a no-confidence vote among Conservative MPs a month ago, which ordinarily would mean he could not be challenged again for another year.

But the influential "1922 Committee" of non-ministerial Tory MPs is reportedly seeking to change the rules, with its executive committee announcing Wednesday it will elect a fresh lineup of members next week.

Johnson's refusal to resign means he will likely face a second confidence vote. 

In parliament on Wednesday, Johnson insisted the country needed "stable government, loving each other as Conservatives, getting on with our priorities".

But addressing MPs, Javid urged other ministers to resign.

"The problem starts at the top, and I believe that is not going to change," he told a hushed House of Commons. 

"And that means that it is for those of us in that position -- who have responsibility -- to make that change."

Cries of "bye, Boris" echoed around the chamber at the end of his speech.