World News | Boris Johnson Assures Make-shift Cabinet He Will Only Be Caretaker UK PM

London, Jul 7 (PTI) Outgoing Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson, who resigned on Thursday, told his make-shift Cabinet cobbled together after a series of resignations since earlier in the week that he will act only as a caretaker prime minister and not make any major policy decisions until his successor is elected.

“I want to thank you, the British public, for the immense privilege you have given me and I want you to know that from now until the new prime minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on,” Johnson said in his resignation speech at 10 Downing Street.

Also Read | Boris Johnson Resigns As UK PM; From Partygate to Chris Pincher Scandal, Here's a List of Events That Led to His Resignation.

Soon after he chaired his first Cabinet meeting as an outgoing leader and assured his Cabinet colleagues that he would follow convention.

"He made clear the government would not seek to implement new policies... He said major fiscal decisions should be left for the next prime minister," a Downing Street readout of that meeting said.

Also Read | As Boris Johnson Continues as Caretaker PM of UK, Many Call Him ‘Zombie Prime Minister’; Here’s What it Means.

Johnson reportedly told his ministers it was not for him to do a “major change of direction" during his last few days, weeks or months in office.

“He will observe convention. I have no doubt about that. I am here on that basis,” Robert Buckland, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Wales, told the BBC.

“The convention is there is no such thing as an interim prime minister. We will have a new party leader and that party leader will then kiss hands with the Queen. Until that time the prime minister will carry on governing but as a caretaker. That is very, very clear. And that is what Cabinet established clearly today," he said.

It came as there is a considerable chunk within the Tory party and also the Opposition demanding that Johnson leave right away, handing over the reins of government to a different caretaker leader because of the irreparably broken trust and respect in his authority.

Former Tory prime minister John Major became one of the party veterans to declare that it was “unwise, and may be unsustainable” for Johnson to stay in office for up to three months – which is how long the Tory leadership election process is expected to take. He was voicing the concerns expressed by many other party members.

“Ministers resigned 'because' of the PM. The party lost confidence 'because' of the PM. It is beyond credulity that Mr Johnson can stay in office...New constitutional territory but he has to go and go means go,” said Simon Hoare, a backbench Tory MP.

Opposition Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer also called on Johnson not to "cling on" and leave completely right away.

As things stand, the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers is set to release a timetable for the new Conservative Party leader elections by next week. The new British prime minister's name is then expected to be revealed after a party ballot process by the end of September or October.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)