British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned on Thursday amid scandal as the UK battles an acute energy crisis. The resignation follows a deluge of other ministerial resignations as well.
Johnson said on Wednesday that he would not resign despite the flurry of ministerial resignations—42—the most resignations in a single day of any UK PM in history. The resignation trend continued into Thursday.
The resignations come amid several scandals involving the former Prime Minister, including Johnson's appointment of an MP who was accused of sexual misconduct, even after the PM knew there were allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
The resignations also come, however, amid a growing energy crisis in the UK and the EU as they look to unshackle themselves from Russia's tight grip on energy supplies—notably natural gas.
The UK is also battling a cost-of-living crisis.
Commenting on the resignation, a Kremlin spokesman on Thursday said that the Kremlin hoped that "more professional people who can make decisions through dialogue will come to power."
"Them's the breaks," Johnson said in a televised speech on Thursday. "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."
Meanwhile, the UK continues to battle the energy crisis, introducing to Parliament on Wednesday the Energy Securities Bill—a bill that failed to specifically address the country's previous pledge to stop using coal by October 2024—a move that implies the UK may backtrack on that commitment amid soaring energy prices and a reduction in natural gas supplies from Russia.
Natural gas makes up the largest portion of the UK's power generation mix, at 35.6%.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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