Boris Johnson's Government Close to Collapse After 40 Resignations

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was clinging to power Thursday, having defiantly responded to calls from his loyalists to step down by sacking a minister and former top ally.

More than 40 ministers and aides, including three cabinet members, have quit the government since late Tuesday, with resignations continuing to trickle in overnight.

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 Boris 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.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign with Downing Street saying he will make a statement to the country today.

Johnson had been hanging onto power despite the resignation of a string of his top ministers. On Thursday the man he appointed as finance minister less than 48 hours earlier publicly urged Johnson to quit.

Conservative party leader, George Freeman, who until this morning was a minister, is calling for a caretaker prime minister after reports suggest Boris will wait until the new leader is elected