The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced his resignation as Conservative leader in a statement outside Number 10 Downing Street.

He has, however, confirmed his intention to continue as Prime Minister until a new Conservative Party leader is elected in the autumn.

“It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and so a new prime minister,” he told a crowd of journalists, MPs, staff and supporters at No 10 .

It comes after Mr Johnson spoke to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative backbenchers’ 1922 Committee, to inform him of his decision, a No 10 source said earlier on Thursday.

“The Prime Minister has spoken to Graham Brady and agreed to stand down in time for a new leader to be in place by the conference in October,” the source added according to the BBC.

It followed a wave of cabinet and ministerial resignations on Tuesday and Wednesday, with East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds resigning as security minister on Wednesday morning.

See below for all the local reaction to developing events in Westminster...