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Boris Johnson, the U.K.'s embattled prime minister, announced he's resigning

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will resign.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON: 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.

MARTÍNEZ: That's Johnson speaking in front of his residence, 10 Downing Street, earlier today.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Over the last two days, more than 50 lawmakers stepped down, sometimes one an hour. A steady stream of members of his own party visited him one by one yesterday, asking him to go.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHNSON: 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.

MARTÍNEZ: Johnson's party did, indeed, win a resounding victory in parliamentary elections three years ago. He said that mandate from voters empowered him to stay on.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHNSON: In 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 in the polls.

FADEL: But it wasn't just a matter of polls that led Johnson's fellow Tories to call for his resignation.

MARTÍNEZ: No, scandal after scandal over the last few months - from flagrant violations of the U.K.'s lockdown rules to elevating an MP Johnson knew had a history of alleged sexual misconduct - all that lost him the faith of many members of his own party. Speaking directly to both his supporters and detractors, Johnson said...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHNSON: I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, but them's the breaks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.