Boris Johnson: UK Prime Minister resigns after mutiny in his party ...

London CNN —

Boris Johnson’s turbulent tenure as Britain’s Prime Minister came to an end Thursday after a historic party revolt over a series of ethics scandals forced him to step down.

It took the resignation of nearly 60 members of his government – almost half the payroll – for Johnson to finally abandon his attempts to cling on to power. Even then, the Prime Minister insisted that he would continue as caretaker leader while the Conservative Party launches the process of choosing a successor.

Some senior figures in his party say even that will be unsustainable, given the dwindling number of people willing to work for him.

Others are already lining up to replace him. Party officials say they will announce the timetable for a leadership election by Monday.

Speaking in front of the famous 10 Downing Street door, the same place where many of his predecessors delivered their own resignation address, Johnson announced that he would be stepping down – without actually saying the words out loud.

“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,” Johnson said.

“The process of choosing that new leader should begin now,” he added, saying the time line will be announced next week.

In a sign that he is planning to stay in the office for as long as he can, Johnson announced he had appointed a new cabinet “to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.” Appointing new cabinet ministers means that the government can continue to function as he prepares to depart.

Johnson spoke of his attempts to stay on as leader and how “painful” it is for him to step down, but made no mention of the scandals that have proved his political downfall.

“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 the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally,” Johnson said.

“I regret not to have been successful in those arguments, and of course, it’s painful, not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself,” he said, adding that he’s proud of “getting Brexit done” and “leading the West in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.”

Johnson went on to address voters directly, expressing sadness at stepping down after nearly three years.

“To you, the British public: I know that there will be many people who are relieved and, perhaps, quite a few will also be disappointed,” he said. “And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, but them’s the breaks.”

Johnson has in recent months been engulfed in a series of scandals that forced even his most stalwart supporters to abandon him. The latest was Downing Street’s botched handling of the resignation by Johnson’s former deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher, who was accused of groping two men last week.

Johnson initially attempted to ride out the crisis – despite an unprecedented flight of middle-ranking ministers from the government, a battering at Prime Minister’s Questions and a bruising appearance before a committee of senior lawmakers in Parliament. On Wednesday, he still insisted he wasn’t going to resign.

He finally gave in Thursday after some of his most loyal allies told him that the game was up.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Johnson had made the “right decision” to resign. “We need calmness and unity now and to keep governing while a new leader is found,” she added.

Greg Clark, newly appointed UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said that he had a “duty to ensure that the country has a functioning government.”

The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, said it was “good news for the country” that Johnson had decided to resign, adding that “it should have happened long ago.”

“He was always unfit for office. He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale,” said Starmer on Twitter.

The opposition leader also had scathing words for the Conservatives. “They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound. Twelve years of economic stagnation. Twelve years of declining public services. Twelve years of empty promises,” Starmer said.

“Enough is enough. We don’t need to change the Tory at the top – we need a proper change of government. We need a fresh start for Britain.”

‘Needless damage’

Conventionally, when a Conservative leader resigns, he or she gives the party time to hold a thorough leadership contest, in which Conservative lawmakers and then party members nationwide vote.

But some said Johnson should leave office more quickly.

“We now need a new Leader as soon as practicable,” Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said on Twitter. “Someone who can rebuild trust, heal the country, and set out a new, sensible and consistent economic approach to help families,” he added.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called for the leadership question to be settled.

“There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end, though notion of Boris Johnson staying on as PM until autumn seems far from ideal, and surely not sustainable?” Sturgeon said in a series of tweets.

Conservative MP Steve Baker told CNN that the party needs “to move swiftly to a leadership contest.”

Baker said Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab should be caretaker prime minister, but that Johnson could also continue in office. Raab has deputized for Johnson in the past: When the PM was in intensive care with Covid-19 in April 2020 and then again briefly last month when Johnson underwent “routine” operation and was put under general anesthetic.

Raab said he would not stand as next Conservative party leader, according to Britain’s PA news agency, which would make him a candidate for a caretaker PM if Johnson was to step down early.

“I am absolutely determined that we should not prolong this crisis. If it’s agreed within government that Boris Johnson should continue as caretaker, then that’s fine with me,” Baker told CNN. “Because we need to just end the crisis, get into a leadership contest, and start fresh in September.”

Former British Prime Minister John Major said it would be “unwise and may be unsustainable” for Johnson to remain in the office of prime minister for long while a new Conservative leader is chosen. He too suggested Raab could serve as the acting prime minister.

Hours after Johnson’s announcement, Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat launched his campaign for the top job with an editorial in UK newspaper the Telegraph.

Barrage of criticism

Johnson’s departure will mark a remarkable downfall for a prime minister who was once seen as having political superpowers, with an appeal that transcended traditional party lines.

He won a landslide victory in December 2019 on the promise of delivering a Brexit deal and leading the UK to a bright future outside the European Union. But his premiership unraveled in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In recent months the prime minister has faced a barrage of criticism from all sides over his conduct and that of some members of his government, including illegal, Covid-19 lockdown-breaking parties thrown in his Downing Street offices for which he and others were fined.

Numerous other scandals have also hit his standing in the polls. These include accusations of using donor money inappropriately to pay for a refurbishment of his Downing Street home and ordering MPs to vote in such a way that would protect a colleague who had breached lobbying rules.

Last month, he survived a confidence vote among members of his own party, but the final count of his lawmakers who rebelled against him was higher than his supporters expected: 41% of his own parliamentary party refused to back him.

He suffered a further blow late last month when his party lost two parliamentary by-elections in a single night, raising new questions about his leadership.

His reputation was also damaged by the resignation of his second ethics adviser in less than two years.

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Liz Truss resigns as Britain's Prime Minister after disastrous six ...

London CNN —

Liz Truss will become the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, after announcing her intention to resign just six weeks into a disastrous term that pitched Britain deep into political and economic turmoil.

Truss said Thursday that she would step aside for a new leader to be chosen within the next week, after a growing number of her own Conservative Party’s lawmakers said they could not support her any longer.

“Given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty The King to notify him that I am resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party,” Truss said while standing outside the famous black door of 10 Downing Street, the same spot in which she had promised to put the UK back onto the path to economic growth and stability just six weeks earlier.

The announcement brings to an ignominious end a catastrophic tenure in Downing Street, which appeared doomed ever since the announcement of Truss’s flagship economic agenda sent markets into panic. A record rise in UK government bond prices sent borrowing costs surging and forced the Bank of England to make three successive interventions to rescue overstretched pension funds. The pound at one point hit an all-time low against the US dollar.

Truss said she would stay in Downing Street until her successor is named.

Graham Brady, who chairs the 1922 Committee which represents rank-and-file Conservative Members of Parliament, said Thursday that the new party leader – and therefore prime minister – should be in place before the end of October.

Candidates to replace Truss will need at least 100 nominations from British Conservative lawmakers, Brady said later on Thursday, a move that effectively narrows the field of potential candidates.

The threshold allows for the possibility of three candidates, maximum, he said. There would be an online vote for Conservative Party members if two candidates make it through the parliamentary stages, party chairman Jake Berry added.

If only one candidate emerges, there could be a new party leader and Prime Minister by Monday, Brady said.

Truss had tried to save her position by admitting her plan was a mistake and replacing her chancellor and long-time ally Kwasi Kwarteng with Jeremy Hunt, a staunch supporter of former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest over the summer.

In the end, even that was not enough.

On Wednesday, Truss lost another top official when Home Secretary Suella Braverman dramatically quit just a few weeks into the job, using her letter of resignation to launch a blistering attack on the prime minister’s leadership.

“The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes. Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics,” Braverman wrote in a critique of Truss’s numerous U-turns on taxes and public spending.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss announces her resignation outside Number 10 Downing Street on October 20, 2022. Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Making a bad day even worse, chaotic scenes unfolded in the UK Parliament on Wednesday evening during a vote on whether to ban controversial fracking for shale gas.

Lawmakers reported that aides for Truss had manhandled MPs into the voting lobby to force them to vote against the ban proposed by the opposition Labour Party. Politicians in the lobby tweeted eyewitness accounts alleging that MPs were being physically dragged to vote in the government lobby, amid angry scenes of shouting and altercation.

House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced Thursday that he had ordered an investigation into the allegations.

Shortest tenure ever

The names of potential successors began floating around even before Truss announced she was going to resign.

Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, who stepped in for Truss during a difficult parliamentary debate earlier this week and also stood in the leadership contest over the summer, will likely be in the running. Sunak, who was Truss’ biggest rival in that contest, is another possible candidate.

Meanwhile, allies of Boris Johnson, Truss’s predecessor in Number 10, made it clear on Thursday that they think the former prime minister will stand in the leadership contest, according to two sources who worked on Johnson’s 2019 leadership campaign.

Newly appointed Home Secretary Grant Shapps and Kemi Badenoch, who came fourth in the last leadership contest, could also stand.

Truss announced her decision to leave on day 45 of her tenure. George Canning previously held the record for the shortest term in Downing Street, having served for 119 days until his death in 1827.

Her move ensures a fresh power struggle within the ruling Conservative Party, which has hemorrhaged public support for the past year and has now overthrown Boris Johnson and Truss in the space of a few months. The new prime minister will be the third since the last general election in December 2019 and the fifth since the Conservatives came into power in 2010.

Earlier this year, Truss’s predecessor Johnson narrowly survived a confidence vote in his leadership. But he resigned weeks later when dozens of ministers and members of the government quit, citing a lack of confidence in his government.

Truss was elected the Conservative Party leader in early September. The September 6 audience during which Queen Elizabeth II officially appointed Truss as the new prime minister, the 15th of her reign, was one of the last duties carried out by the monarch before her death on September 8.

The new prime minister, whoever that may be, will become the first to be appointed by King Charles III.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, which is enjoying a huge lead in opinion polls, on Thursday repeated his calls for an early general election.

“After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos,” the opposition leader said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people,” he added.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called for an early vote.

“The interests of the Tory party should concern no-one right now. A General Election is now a democratic imperative,” Sturgeon said on Twitter.

The next general election is due to take place no later than January 2025, but the prospect of Britain seeing its third prime minister since the last poll in 2019 would heap pressure on Truss’ successor to ask the public for a new mandate.

The British pound was trading 0.5% higher against the dollar after Truss announced her resignation, indicating that investors welcomed the decision.

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UK election: Why crisis-wracked nation won't be voting soon | CNN

London CNN —

The United Kingdom is – once again – in the market for a new leader following the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss only six weeks into her disastrous premiership.

Truss’ successor will be the fifth PM to lead the country since it voted for Brexit in 2016 – a decision that set into motion the turmoil that ultimately led to the current political chaos.

And while a general election might seem to be the obvious way forward, Brits (and their dogs) are unlikely to be lining up in front of the ballot box any time soon. Here’s why.

Why won’t there be a new election?

In the UK, general elections must be held at least every five years.

Luckily for the Conservative Party, which is currently in power but trailing the opposition in opinion polls, the next vote doesn’t need to be held until January 2025.

That’s because in the UK, prime ministers are not elected directly by the people. In fact, four of the last five British prime ministers came into the role without a general election.

Truss is in Downing Street because she is the leader of the largest party in the House of Commons. She was picked by the roughly 172,000 members of the Conservative Party after the departure of Boris Johnson, who himself became prime minister without a general election after winning the party leadership contest in 2019 – although he did call a new vote in December that year and won.

Theresa May, who served as prime minister before Johnson, also first became PM without an election, as did Labour’s Gordon Brown when he replaced Tony Blair in 2007.

So how will the new PM be picked?

The Conservative Party is still the largest one in Parliament, so its new leader will automatically become prime minister.

While the last leadership election took almost two months – longer than Truss will spend as prime minister – the next one will be swift.

Graham Brady, leader of the 1922 Committee, which represents rank-and-file Conservative members of parliament, said Thursday the new PM will be chosen by next Friday.

To narrow the field of those in the running, the candidates to replace Truss will need at least 100 nominations from Conservative MPs, which means there will be a maximum of three people in the running.

Must the new prime minister call a general election?

No. The next general election is due to take place no later than January 2025.

However, the prospect of Britain seeing its third prime minister since the last poll in 2019 and the second to come into power without a public vote will put pressure on Truss’ successor to ask the public for a new mandate.

The last time three successive prime ministers entered Downing Street without standing in a general election was before and during the World War II.

The opposition, sensing an opportunity, is pushing for a new vote. Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, which is enjoying a huge lead in opinion polls, repeated his calls on Thursday for an early general election. “After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called for an early vote, saying a new “general election is now a democratic imperative.”

What do British people think about all this?

Judging by the numerous protests, jokes and memes, many are far from impressed. A public petition calling for a new election was launched in September. It gathered more than 715,000 signatures and was debated in parliament earlier this week.

However, there is little the public can do if the Conservative Party, which is firmly in control of parliament, decides not to call an election now. For many Conservative lawmakers, voting for an early election would mean the end of their political careers. The odds of that happening are likely to be low.

Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister, squeaks through confidence ...

London CNN —

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has survived a confidence vote by members of his own party – but the final count of lawmakers who rebelled against him was far higher than his supporters expected.

After a tidal wave of recent criticism – which included illegal, lockdown-breaking parties thrown in his Downing Street offices – Johnson squeaked by with 211 votes to 148 in a secret ballot on Monday.

The government hailed the result, with Johnson saying he thought “this is a very good result for politics and for the country.”

“I think it’s a convincing result, a decisive result, and what it means is that as a government we can move on and focus on the stuff that really matters to people,” Johnson said.

Yet his thin margin of victory means that 41% of his own parliamentary party refused to back Johnson, three years after he led the Conservative Party to a landslide victory in the last general election.

Voting began at 6 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) Monday after Johnson urged Conservative lawmakers to back him and reminded them that he had led the party to its biggest electoral win in 40 years, according to a letter he wrote seen by PA Media.

The large rebellion by his lawmakers will leave Johnson’s reputation diminished and could damage his ability to push through legislation. Disappointing results for the party in upcoming polls could also heap more pressure on Johnson, as Conservatives face two difficult parliamentary by-elections in late June.

Despite the victory, the opposition Labour Party has said that by hanging onto power this time, Johnson makes the prospect of an early election even more likely. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer predicted to LBC that Monday’s vote would mark “the beginning of the end” of the Prime Minister’s political career – no matter which way the vote went.

“If you look at the previous examples of no confidence votes, even when Conservative Prime Ministers survive those … the damage is already done,” the opposition leader told LBC Monday. “Usually, they fall reasonably swiftly afterwards.”

Following the vote, Starmer said Johnson was “utterly unfit for the great office he holds” and accused Conservative lawmakers of ignoring the British public. “The Conservative Government now believes that breaking the law is no impediment to making the law.”

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called Johnson an “utterly lame duck” on Twitter following the vote.

“That result is surely the worst of all worlds for the Tories. But much more importantly: at a time of huge challenge, it saddles the UK with an utterly lame duck PM,” Sturgeon said in a tweet on Monday night.

Video Ad Feedback 'No way out': Commentator predicts Boris Johnson's future 02:10 - Source: CNN

Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May was the last sitting British leader to face a no-confidence vote from their own party. May narrowly survived that vote, which had been called amid months of chaos over her doomed Brexit deal – but she ultimately resigned months later.

Monday’s vote was triggered after more than 54 lawmakers sent letters to the chair of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, following a tidal wave of criticism over a number of scandals that have engulfed Johnson’s premiership for several months.

Last month, a damning report by a senior civil servant found a culture of partying and socializing among Johnson’s staff during Covid-19 lockdown, while millions of Britons were banned from seeing their friends and relatives.

Boris Johnson waves from the steps of No. 10 Downing Street after giving a statement in London in July 2019. He had just become prime minister. Frank Augstein/AP A 15-year-old Johnson, right, is seen outside Eton College, a boarding school outside London, in 1979. Ian Sumner/Shutterstock Johnson, 21, speaks with Greek Minister for Culture Melina Mercouri in June 1986. Johnson at the time was president of the Oxford Union, a prestigious student society. Brian Smith/Reuters Johnson started his career as a journalist. He was fired from an early job at The Times for fabricating a quote. He later became a Brussels correspondent and then an assistant editor for The Daily Telegraph. From 1994 to 2005, he was editor of the weekly magazine The Spectator. Neville Elder/Corbis via Getty Images In 2001, Johnson was elected as a member of Parliament. He won the seat in Henley for the Conservative Party. Tim Ockenden/PA Images/Getty Images Johnson looks apologetic after fouling Germany's Maurizio Gaudino during a charity soccer match in Reading, England, in May 2006. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Johnson is congratulated by Conservative Party leader David Cameron, right, after being elected mayor of London in May 2008. Cameron later became prime minister. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire via AP Johnson, left, poses with a wax figure of himself at Madame Tussauds in London in May 2009. Sang Tan/AP Johnson poses for a photo in London in April 2011. He was re-elected as the city's mayor in 2012. Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images Johnson and his wife, Marina, enjoy the atmosphere in London ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony in July 2012. The couple separated in 2018 after 25 years of marriage. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Johnson gets stuck on a zip line during an event in London's Victoria Park in August 2012. Barcroft Media via Getty Images Johnson waves on London's Wandsworth Bridge as a bike-sharing program was expanded in the city in 2013. Jonathan Brady/PA Images/AP Johnson poses with his father, Stanley, and his siblings, Rachel and Jo, at the launch of his new book in October 2014. Stanley Johnson was once a member of the European Parliament. David M. Benett/Getty Images Johnson takes part in a charity tug-of-war with British military personnel in October 2015. Jonathan Brady/AP Johnson and Michael Gove ride on a "Vote Leave" campaign bus in June 2016. Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/AP Johnson kisses a wild salmon while visiting a fish market in London in June 2016. A month earlier, he stepped down as mayor but remained a member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Stefan Rousseau/AP Johnson arrives at a news conference in London in June 2016. During the Brexit referendum that year, he was under immense pressure from Prime Minister Cameron to back the Remain campaign. But he broke ranks and backed Brexit at the last minute. Mary Turner/Bloomberg via Getty Images Johnson sits next to Prime Minister Theresa May during a Cabinet meeting in November 2016. Johnson was May's foreign secretary for two years before resigning over her handling of Brexit. Peter Nicholls/WPA Pool/Getty Images As foreign secretary, Johnson meets with US House Speaker Paul Ryan in April 2017. Johnson was born in New York City to British parents and once held dual citizenship. But he renounced his US citizenship in 2016. Richard Pohle/WPA Pool/Getty Images Johnson launches his Conservative Party leadership campaign in June 2019. Leon Neal/Getty Images Johnson and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt take part in the Conservative Leadership debate in June 2019. Jeff Overs/BBC via Getty Images Johnson speaks in July 2019 after he won the party leadership vote to become Britain's next prime minister. Toby Melville/Reuters Britain's Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Johnson at Buckingham Palace, where she invited him to become Prime Minister and form a new government. Victoria Jones/AP Johnson poses with his dog Dilyn as he leaves a polling station in London in December 2019. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images Johnson appears on stage alongside Bobby Smith during the count declaration in London in December 2019. Johnson's Conservative Party won a majority in the UK's general election, securing his position as Prime Minister. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds, react to election results from his study at No. 10 Downing Street. Andrew Parsons/i-Images/ZUMA Press Johnson speaks on the phone with Queen Elizabeth II in March 2020. Andrew Parsons/WPA Pool/Getty Images In March 2020, Johnson announced in a video posted to Twitter that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus. "Over the last 24 hours, I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus. I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government's response via video conference as we fight this virus. Together we will beat this," Johnson said. He was later hospitalized after his symptoms had "worsened," according to his office. From Twitter Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, outside of No. 10 Downing Street, join a national applause showing appreciation for health-care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Aaron Chown/PA Images/Getty Images Johnson is seen via video conference as he attends a Covid-19 meeting remotely in March 2020. Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street After recovering from the coronavirus, Johnson returned to work in late April 2020. Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Johnson and staff members are pictured together with wine at a Downing Street garden in May 2020. In January 2022, Johnson apologized for attending the event, which took place when Britons were prohibited from gathering due to strict coronavirus restrictions. Guardian/eyevine/Redux Johnson wears a face mask as he visits the headquarters of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust in July 2020. Ben Stansall/WPA Pool/Getty Images US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sits across from Johnson in the garden of No. 10 Downing Street in July 2020. HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP/Getty Images 14/07/2020. London, United Kingdom. Boris Johnson and Carrie NHS Call.The Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds with their son Wilfred in the study of No10 Downing Street speaking via zoom to the midwifes that helped deliver their son at the UCLH. Andrew Parsons/No10 Downing Street Johnson holds a crab in Stromness Harbour during a visit to Scotland in July 2020. Robert Perry/Getty Images Johnson is seen with his wife, Carrie, after their wedding at London's Westminster Cathedral in May 2021. The ceremony, described by PA Media as a "secret wedding," was reportedly held in front of close friends and family, according to several British newspaper accounts. Rebecca Fulton/Pool/Reuters Johnson and US President Joe Biden speak at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, England, after their bilateral meeting in June 2021. Biden and Johnson were participating in the G7 summit that weekend. Andrew Parsons/No10 Downing Street/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II greets Johnson at Buckingham Palace in June 2021. It was the Queen's first in-person weekly audience with the Prime Minister since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Dominic Lipinski/Pool/Getty Images Johnson delivers his keynote speech on the final day of the annual Conservative Party Conference in October 2021. Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images Johnson and former British prime ministers attend a requiem Mass for Conservative MP David Amess in November 2021. From left are former Prime Ministers John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Johnson. Stefan Rousseau/Pool/AFP/Getty Images Johnson and his wife, Carrie, holding their newborn daughter, Romy, hold video calls in December 2021. Simon Dawson/No10 Downing Street Johnson speaks in the House of Commons in January 2022. He apologized for attending a May 2020 garden party that took place while the UK was in a hard lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19. Johnson told lawmakers he believed the gathering to be a work event but that, with hindsight, he should have sent attendees back inside. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor via AP Johnson meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, in April 2022. Presidential Office of Ukraine/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Johnson attends the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London in June 2022. It was part of Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria Jones/AP "I think it's an extremely good, positive, conclusive, decisive result which enables us to move on to unite," Johnson said in an interview shortly after surviving a confidence vote in June 2022. PA/AP Johnson leaves No. 10 Downing Street on July 6, a day after two senior Cabinet ministers quit over Downing Street's handling of the resignation of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images At Prime Minister's Questions on July 6, Johnson said "the job of a Prime Minister in difficult circumstances when he has been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going, and that's what I'm going to do." Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/Reuters Johnson announces his resignation in front of No. 10 Downing Street on July 7. "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," he said. Henry Nicholls/Reuters Johnson speaks outside No. 10 Downing Street on September 6. It was his last day as prime minister. Alberto Pezzali/AP In photos: Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Prev Next

The so-called Partygate scandal plunged his approval ratings and sparked a drumbeat of dissatisfaction among several of his backbenchers. But Johnson has also been criticized for his response to a cost-of-living crisis, and his party suffered heavy losses at local elections in May.

Under Conservative party rules – which can be changed at any time – a leader who survives a confidence vote is safe from such a challenge for 12 months.

But with only 58.6% of Conservative MPs backing Johnson on Monday, the Prime Minister suffered a worse result than his predecessor May, who had the support of 63% of her lawmakers in a much smaller parliamentary party when she faced a confidence vote in 2018.

Despite the worse performance, Johnson insisted it was an “extremely good” result, saying he was not interested in a snap election to gain a new mandate from the public.

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Kate Forbes: SNP frontrunner who could be 'Scotland's Jacinda ...

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Scots preparing for second independence try after 'Brexit' result

Jill Castle and Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY NETWORK

GLASGOW, Scotland — Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon will push for a second vote to decide whether her country should remain part of the United Kingdom, she said Friday.

Scots voted overwhelmingly to stay in the European Union. Independence was defeated in a referendum in 2014.

She said legislation for a new vote "has to be on the table" and that she would do everything possible to keep Scotland inside the EU.

Britain’s decision to leave the EU represents a substantial, material change in Scotland’s relations and could justify another independence vote, she said. The Scottish leader also praised British Prime Minister David Cameron. He will resign before October.

The SNP's manifesto ahead of May's Scottish Parliament election said Scotland should have the right to hold a second independence vote if there was a "significant and material" change in circumstances from 2014, such as it being taken out of the EU against it will.

Britain votes to leave European Union

'We're out': Front pages reflect historic 'Brexit'

Sturgeon said legislation is being prepared for a second independence to ensure it can be held before the U.K. leaves the EU in two years time.

Addressing the nation, Sturgeon said: "As first minister I have a duty to respond not just to the U.K. outcome of the referendum but to the democratic decision of Scotland.

"As things stand Scotland faces the prospect of being taken out of the EU against our will. I regard that as unacceptable."

Sturgeon said that she has spoken to the Bank of England and would be meeting with the European Commissioner after the shock result.

Former SNP leader Alex Salmond, who led the first failed independence bid, has said it would take place within the two-year negotiating period between a Brexit vote and the U.K.'s formal withdrawal from the EU, allowing Scotland to remain a member.

He dismissed suggestions the SNP had undermined the "remain" vote by criticizing the prime minister's economic case for staying in the EU.

He said: "On the contrary. I think it was really important for someone to say the style of the 'remain' campaign led by the prime minister and (Finance Minister) George Osborne was wrong."

Sturgeon also confirmed that the Scottish Cabinet will meet Saturday to discuss the next move.

She said she made clear to Cameron that the Scottish government must be involved in all future steps that the U.K. government intends to take on Europe.

She added: "The manifesto that the SNP were elected on last month said the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold a referendum if there is a significant and material change in our circumstances.

"Scotland now faces that prospect. The option of a second referendum must be on the table and it is on the table.

"Discussions have to be had before decisions are taken but if parliament judges that a referendum is the only way to protect Scotland's place in Europe it must be able to do so in that time scale."

'Brexit' bombshell torpedoes global markets

Global reaction pours in over 'Brexit' result

British pound plummets to 31-year low amid 'Brexit' vote

Jill Castle reports for The (Glasgow, Scotland) Herald; Kim Hjelmgaard reports for USA TODAY. Follow Castle and Hjelmgaard on Twitter: @jillscastle and @khjelmgaard

Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral: What to expect | CNN

London (CNN)–The death of Queen Elizabeth II has set into motion an intricate period of mourning which will culminate with a huge state funeral on September 19 honoring her lifetime of devotion and steadfast service.

Codenamed “Operation London Bridge,” arrangements for Britain’s longest-serving monarch have been carefully pored over for years by the many agencies involved, with the Queen herself signing off on every single detail before her death. However, these details were kept under wraps until the sitting sovereign, King Charles III, gave it all his final seal of approval.

The Queen will ultimately be laid to rest within St. George’s Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, alongside her “strength and stay” of 73 years, Prince Philip. Here, we’ve put together a day-by-day guide on what will happen from now until the state funeral.

Following the Queen’s death, her oak coffin – draped with the Royal Standard for Scotland and a wreath of flowers – sat in the ballroom at Balmoral, where estate staff had the chance to pay their last respects.

On Sunday morning, gamekeepers carried it to a waiting hearse, and then the beloved monarch left Balmoral for the last time. The first leg of the Queen’s final journey saw the royal cortege make a six-hour journey to Edinburgh and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. The trip by road ordinarily takes around three hours, however, it was driven slowly to allow people to witness the procession and bow their heads as it passed.

An honor guard made up of the Royal Regiment of Scotland greeted the hearse in Edinburgh with a royal salute before the coffin was transferred to the Throne Room by a military bearer party.

Meanwhile, back in London, the King met with the Commonwealth secretary general before hosting a reception for the high commissioners from the realms of which he is now head of state in Buckingham Palace’s Bow Room.

On Monday morning, the King started the day with a trip to Westminster Hall where both Houses of Parliament expressed their condolences. He and his wife Camilla then flew to Edinburgh, where they headed straight to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

In the afternoon, the King led a procession carrying the Queen’s coffin to St. Giles’ Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving attended by members of the royal family, as well as a congregation made up “from all areas of Scottish society,” according to a senior palace official. Afterward, the coffin rested there for 24 hours to allow the Scottish public to see it.

Following the service, the King had an audience with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and a meeting with the presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament. Charles, accompanied by the Queen Consort, also went to the Scottish Parliament to receive a motion of condolence.

In the evening, the King and members of the royal family mounted their own guard – or vigil – of the Queen’s coffin.

Then-Prince Charles and his brother Edward, left, stand vigil beside their grandmother's coffin while the Queen Mother lies in state at Westminster Hall in 2002. Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

On Tuesday, the King and Camilla visited Belfast, Northern Ireland, as part of his first tour as monarch of the nations that make up the United Kingdom. The couple visited Hillsborough Castle and viewed an exhibition on the Queen’s long association with Northern Ireland. The King then met the secretary of state for Northern Ireland in addition to other party leaders, and received a message of condolence led by the speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Back in Scotland, the Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, accompanied her mother’s body as it was flown back to London. The coffin traveled 8.2 miles (13.2 kilometers) by hearse to Edinburgh Airport, where it departed for RAF Northolt.

A state hearse brought the monarch’s remains to Buckingham Palace, where the King, the Queen Consort, as well as other members of the Windsor clan, were waiting for the coffin’s arrival at around 8 p.m. (3 p.m. ET). The Dean of the Chapels Royal conducted prayers and a bearer party founded by The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards placed the coffin on trestles in the center of the Bow Room to rest overnight.

Wednesday saw an extraordinary procession take the coffin on a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace over to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, where the Queen will lie in state until the morning of the funeral.

For this journey, the coffin was be adorned with the Imperial State Crown and a flower wreath. The procession set off at 2:22 p.m. (9:22 a.m. ET) along The Mall, across Horse Guards Parade, past Downing Street toward Westminster.

Senior royals including King Charles III and Princes William and Harry walked behind their beloved matriarch. They were followed by senior staff from the royal households as well as close personal staff and members of the Household Division. As crowds watched the procession – which took around 40 minutes – Big Ben tolled and minute guns fired by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Hyde Park echoed across the capital.

The Queen’s coffin was placed on a raised platform – or catafalque – in the middle of the hall and is being guarded around the clock by officers from the Household Division, the King’s Bodyguard or the Royal Company of Archers.

Upon its arrival at Westminster Hall, a short service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, after which the hall opened for the public to pay their respects.

King Charles III walks with his sons behind the Queen's coffin on Wednesday. Daniel Leal/Pool/AP

Members of the public filed past the Queen’s coffin during its first full day lying in state at Westminster Hall on Thursday.

The hall will be open 24 hours a day until 6:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m.) on the day of the Queen’s funeral. The UK government has warned that those wishing to pay their respects “will be required to queue for many hours, possibly overnight.” All those attending the lying in state will go through “airport-style” security with only small bags permitted.

Brass plaques in the 11th-century hall mark the spot where Edward VII lay in state in 1910, George V in 1936, George VI in 1952 and Queen Mary a year later. The hall, which is 900 years old, is also where wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill lay in state in 1965.

On Friday, the lying in state continued for a second full day. Huge numbers of people lined up in central London for a chance to visit the coffin and be part of this historic moment.

Separately, King Charles and Camilla visited Wales on Friday, bringing their tour of all four nations that make up the United Kingdom to a close.

Public access to the lying in state continues into the weekend. And in a surprise announcement, the Queen’s eight grandchildren – including Princes William and Harry – will stand vigil beside her coffin on Saturday evening.

Sunday marks the final full day the Queen’s body will lie in state in Westminster Hall.

The UK public has also been invited to observe a minute’s silence at 8 p.m. (3 p.m. ET) in a national moment of reflection.

On the morning of Monday, September 19 – declared a public holiday across the UK – the Queen’s lying in state will end. The coffin will then travel in procession once more to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral, the details of which will likely come in the following days.

Westminster Abbey, founded in 960 AD by Benedictine monks, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in London. The historic church has been the setting for every coronation since 1066, and was where the then-Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947. But there hasn’t been a funeral of a monarch there since that of George II in 1760.

Heads of state and dignitaries from around the world are expected to be invited to the British capital to join members of the royal family to celebrate the Queen’s life and unwavering service to the nation and Commonwealth. While a guest list has not yet been announced, US President Joe Biden plans to attend the funeral.

Other familiar faces at the televised service will be some of the 15 prime ministers to have served during the Queen’s reign.

At its conclusion, the coffin will travel in procession to Wellington Arch, before making its final journey out of London to Windsor.

The George VI Memorial Chapel in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, where the Queen's father and mother were interred. A casket containing the ashes of the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret, is also in the vault. Tim Ockenden/PA Images/Getty Images

Its destination is the now-familiar St. George’s Chapel within the grounds of Windsor Castle. It’s where Prince Philip’s funeral service was held, as well as more jubilant occasions like the nuptials of the Queen’s grandchildren.

Following the service for the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021, his coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault, set below the chapel, where many royal family members have been laid to rest. However, he will be relocated to lie together with the Queen in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, located elsewhere within St. George’s Chapel.

To get updates on the British Royal Family sent to your inbox, sign up for CNN’s Royal News newsletter.

Lauren Said-Moorhouse Max Foster
Lauren Said-Moorhouse
Max Foster

Muslim leaders invite 'ignorant' Donald Trump to visit mosque during ...

Kate Devlin

The (Glasgow, Scotland) Herald

GLASGOW, Scotland — Leading figures from the Muslim community have invited Donald Trump to visit a mosque when he comes to Scotland at the end of this month.

The controversial presumptive Republican presidential nominee should "learn more about the Muslims that he offends almost every time he opens his mouth," they said in a joint statement.

Trump attracted worldwide condemnation after he demanded a temporary ban on all Muslims entering America following the killing of 14 people at a health center in San Bernardino, Calif., by a Muslim couple who are believed to have been radicalized.

The tycoon also claimed that Muslims nursed a "hatred" for Americans.

His comments led to calls from Scottish ministers and members of Parliament for the Home Secretary Theresa May to ban Trump from Britain for "hate-preaching."

Trump is due to fly into Scotland later this month to re-open his Turnberry golf course and hotel, in Ayrshire, after a £200 million ($290 million) revamp.

Hafiz Ghafoor of Edinburgh's Annandale Mosque, and Munawar Hussain, secretary of Roxburgh Street Mosque & Islamic Center, also in Edinburgh, accused the billionaire of “ignorance” and invited him to visit their mosques.

Donald Trump set to do whistle-stop tour of all resorts this month

There, they said, he should educate himself "before he makes another inflammatory speech.”

They said: “Donald Trump aspires to lead the free world but his run for the White House has been rooted in ignorance and intolerance.

“Muslims in Scotland and elsewhere are working together with people of all faiths to build understanding and peace across the world and tackle extremism.

“Trump should learn more about the Muslims that he offends almost every time he opens his mouth.

"We would welcome the opportunity to show him the work that we are doing in the community in Edinburgh when he comes to Scotland later this month.”

Both mosques have a record of promoting interfaith relations and have also worked with the homeless.

The call was echoed by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who has been in touch with the mosques.

He said: "Donald Trump has spent much of the last year spouting disgusting nonsense about women, Mexicans and others but some of his most ludicrous statements have been about Muslims.

"Muslims are our friends, colleagues, family and neighbors. When he insults them in such a grotesque manner he insults us all.

"I have been in touch with Muslim community leaders in Edinburgh. He should come and meet some of those he wants to ban from America when he visits Scotland later this month. He can see first hand the work that they are doing to help marginalized groups like the homeless and then try to justify his outlandish claims."

Trump is already facing demonstrations against his visit while he is in the country, under the banner "Scotland against Trump."

He had been due to arrive in Scotland on the day that the result of the EU vote is announced, June 24.

However, he announced last week that he has changed his plans and will land the day before voters go to the polls, prompting speculation that he intends to make an intervention in the referendum.

Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course reopens after £200m renovation

He has already lined up against (Prime Minister) David Cameron on the issue, saying that the U.K. should leave the EU.

Cameron has condemned Trump's remarks about Muslims as "stupid, divisive and wrong."

But Cameron has also said that he would be "very happy" to meet Trump in the U.K. before the presidential vote (in November).

Last week an exclusive BMG poll for The Herald showed that 42% of the U.K. public think (Cameron) should not meet Trump, while another 31% said that he should — but only to criticize him face to face.

During his campaign for his party’s nomination Trump has also been criticized for demanding that Mexico pay to erect a wall at its border to prevent immigrants crossing into the U.S.

He was also attacked after he said that women should be punished if they have an abortion. He later walked back from that claim.

Follow Kate Devlin on Twitter: @_katedevlin

Scottish independence vote would need British permission

Daniel Sanderson

(Glasgow, Scotland) Evening Times

GLASGOW, Scotland — The Scottish leader will need cooperation from the British Parliament in order to hold a second independence referendum, ministers have confirmed.

A draft referendum bill, published Thursday, showed that an order temporarily transferring legal powers to the seat of the Scottish government in Holyrood would be sought if the legislation is introduced at the Scottish Parliament.

In a preamble to a consultation accompanying the draft bill, the Scottish government states that it would be "expected" that a Section 30 order would be granted, as it was ahead of the 2014 vote.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said previously that it is "inconceivable" that British Prime Minister Theresa May would block a vote. However, other Scottish National Party figures including former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill have said it is "perfectly feasible" that Downing Street will refuse to grant the powers. The British government has not yet given a definitive answer to the question.

It is proposed at this stage that the same question as in 2014, "should Scotland be an independent country?" would be used in a second referendum although a variation has not been ruled out after the consultation. Scotland's constitutional future would be decided by a simple majority, with no minimum turnout threshold.

Scottish leader prepares for pre-Brexit independence vote

As in 2014, 16 and 17-year-olds would be eligible to vote, as would European Union citizens. Minor changes to 2014 are proposed around absent voting arrangements and permitted participants.

The consultation asks about technical aspects of the bill, not whether a repeat referendum should be held.

Sturgeon has said she will move for a second referendum if she concludes independence is the best or only way to protect Scotland's interests, after the United Kingdom's decision to quit the EU.

In the June referendum, 52% of voters voted to leave the European Union.

The first minister, in the foreword to the consultation document, said that the Scottish National Party has been elected on a "clear mandate" that it should have the right to hold a referendum, if there was a "significant and material change in circumstances" to 2014 such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against its will.

She added: "Scotland is now faced with one of the specific scenarios in which this government pledged that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum.

Britain: No special migration deal for Scotland after Brexit

"The UK Government’s recent statements on its approach to leaving the EU raise serious concerns for the Scottish Government. We face unacceptable risks to our democratic, economic and social interests and to the right of the Scottish Parliament to have its say.

"Indeed those statements contradict the assurances given before the independence referendum in 2014 that Scotland is an equal partner within the UK and that a vote against independence would secure our EU membership.

"For many people, this approach will be evidence of a wider democratic deficit within the UK, where decisions about Scotland are too often taken against the wishes of people who live here."

She added: "This government remains willing to work with the UK Government to negotiate a future relationship with Europe that is in line with the views of the overwhelming majority of the Scottish people and which works for the United Kingdom as a whole."

The 2014, the independence referendum was defeated 55% to 45%, meaning Scotland remained a part of the United Kingdom.

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY. Follow Daniel Sanderson on Twitter: @DanSandersonHT

'Hard Brexit' could cost U.K. $81 billion a year

Scottish voters choose to stick with U.K.

Does Sturgeon's exit mean the end of SNP rule in Scotland? | The ...


Sky Brown becomes UK's first skateboarding world champion | The ...

Sky Brown has become the UK’s first skateboarding world champion at the age of just 14.

The British-Japanese teenager, who won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, “produced a dazzling final two runs” to win gold in the park skateboarding category at the world championships in Sharjah, UAE, said The Sun.

Olympic silver medallist Kokona Hiraki led until the final round, but fell on her final attempt, while Tokyo gold medallist Sakura Yosozumi struggled throughout before taking bronze.

Brown told Sky Sports after the event: “Being on the podium with these guys again is so crazy. There’s new girls ripping it and it’s really inspiring.

“I’m really stoked. It’s just been really fun. I was trying to enjoy it as much as I could. Landing all three of my runs was an amazing feeling. I didn’t really know until the end because all the girls are crazy right now,” she added.

Aged 13 years and 28 days, Brown became the UK’s youngest ever Olympic medallist at the Tokyo Games held in 2021.

The skateboarder, who was born in Miyazaki, Japan, to a Japanese mother and British father, competed at the US Open in 2016 at the age of eight and first chose to compete for Great Britain in 2018.

Last year, Brown told the Independent that her next ambition is to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics in both skateboarding and surfing. That will “present practical challenges”, said the news site, given one competition will be held in Paris and the other off the Pacific island of Tahiti. But “Brown has overcome greater challenges already in her burgeoning career,” said the website. “It’s gonna be pretty hard but I’m gonna try my best because I love them both,” she said.

“That feeling, being on the podium, it made me fired up. It made me want to go and get a gold medal next time. It was so fun and I want to do it again,” she said.

Michael Smith's nine-darter: video and best tweets after the 'greatest ...

Michael Smith hit a sensational nine-dart leg as he defeated three-time champion Michael van Gerwen in last night’s PDC World Darts Championship final.

Held in front of a raucous crowd at London’s Alexandra Palace, the rematch of the 2019 final saw the Englishman gain revenge over the Dutch master, winning 7-4 on the night to become the world champion and world No.1 for the first time.

“Bully Boy” Smith, who lost to Van Gerwen in the 2019 showpiece and to Peter Wright last year, finally “banished all the tears” to fulfil his world championship “destiny”, said Rob Maul in The Sun. And he did it in one of the “most spectacular matches” ever witnessed at Ally Pally.

‘Leapt round the stage like a madman’

With 16 ranking titles between them, Smith and Van Gerwen have been the “best two players on the planet” throughout the last 12 months, said Aaron Bower in The Guardian. “We hoped this final”, the “most mouthwatering” in years on paper, “would deliver”, he added. “And how they delivered.” This was a meeting of the “two finest tungsten technicians”.

When he ended his major title duck in November by winning the Grand Slam of Darts, Smith said he would “eventually be a world champion”. And now he has the ambition to do what Van Gerwen has done and “take over” this sport. “It sounds amazing – world champion,” he told Sky Sports. “I finally took a chance that I didn’t deserve. I want to apologise to Michael as I’ve been in his position before.”

After sealing the win, Smith “could not hold back the tears” as he “leapt round the stage like a madman”, Maul added in The Sun. And he celebrated with his family “like Pat Cash at 1987 Wimbledon”.

From a sporting memory “it’s the greatest ever”, Smith said of his victory. “I don’t think that will ever be topped. Even if I won a second [world title], it will never top how I just felt then.”

Smith delivers the ‘magical nine’

Van Gerwen had “cruised through” his quarter-final and semi-final ties “without dropping a set”, said BBC Sport. After taking the opener in this “classic final”, it “needed something special” to end his run of 14 successive victorious sets.

Smith “duly delivered” in a final which featured the “greatest leg of darts the world will ever see”, Bower added in The Guardian. In the third leg of the second set Smith “pinned the perfect nine-dart leg” – but only after Van Gerwen had missed double 12 for a nine-darter of his own. “I thought I’d give the crowd what they deserved and they got one, the magical nine,” Smith said.

On social media video clips of the nine-darter went viral with fans left bewildered by the stunning feat. The PDC’s video on Twitter has already had more than 8m views. In the commentary box Sky Sports’s Wayne Mardle “lost his voice” as he “provided the soundtrack” for one of the greatest moments in darts history, said Ben Parsons in The Mirror. Going “berserk” as he called the nine-dart attempts, Mardle expressed the emotions of darts fans across the globe. “That is the most amazing leg of darts you will ever see!” Mardle said after Smith hit 141. “I can’t speak, I can’t speak!”

How fans reacted to the ‘greatest leg’

Smith “realised all his darting dreams at once” as he laid his hands on the Sid Waddell trophy, claimed the £500,000 cheque and became the No.1 player on the planet, said Parsons in The Mirror. In what will be considered “one of the sporting moments of 2023”, the man from St Helens “made fans lose their minds” by nailing the perfect nine. Here’s how darts fans reacted on Twitter…

The greatest leg of darts ever 🎯 Michael van Gerwen 60✔ 60✔ 60✔ 60✔ 60✔ 57✔ 60✔ 60✔ D12 X Michael Smith 60✔ 60✔ 60✔ 60✔ 60✔ 60✔ 60✔ 57 ✔ D12 ✔ #9Darter pic.twitter.com/lIHBwLZWVM — Francis Keogh (@HonestFrank) January 3, 2023

The love we as a nation have for darts warms my heart. Wayne Mardle’s pure joy at watching Michael Smith hit his 9 darter is a beautiful thing to watch. “I can’t speyk!” pic.twitter.com/PlvYZlZGrZ — HLTCO (@HLTCO) January 4, 2023

One of the greatest athletic feats I have ever witnessed pic.twitter.com/I7V5TeGq3T — Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 3, 2023

It’s only 4 days into the sporting year and we already have the ‘best moment’ or ‘wow moment’ for that ‘9 darter leg’ in the @OfficialPDC final. Nothing tops that this year, nothing comes even remotely close! @Michael180Smith - what a guy, what a champ 👍🏻 — Mart McClelland (@MartMcClelland) January 4, 2023

Still thinking of that 9 darter last night and what great commentary watched it 50 plus times #lovethedarts — Wayne Roberts (@Onesipatatime7) January 4, 2023

Amazing World Darts final! The greatest leg of darts ever seen with both players having a dart for a 9 darter and Bully Michael Smith taking his and the ultimately title 👏🏻🏆🎯🥇💪🏻 — Kev_Allen71 (@Allen71Kev) January 4, 2023

OMG THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! IN A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL!!! 😱😱😱😱😱😱 — Emma Paton (@MissEmmaPaton) January 3, 2023

Jakub Jankto: first current male international footballer to come out ...

Jakub Jankto, a 27-year-old Czech footballer, has become the first current international in men’s football to come out publicly as gay.

In a short video posted on Twitter on Monday, the Sparta Prague midfielder said: “Hi, I’m Jakub Jankto. Like everybody else, I have my strengths. I have my weaknesses. I have a family. I have my friends. I have a job which I have been doing as best as I can for years, with seriousness, professionalism and passion.

“Like everybody else, I also want to live my life in freedom. Without fears. Without prejudice. Without violence. But with love.

"I am homosexual and I no longer want to hide myself.”

Who is Jakub Jankto?

Jankto was born in Prague, and has a three-year-old son from a previous relationship. He is currently on loan to Sparta Prague from the Spanish side Getafe. Since joining Sparta Prague in August, he has made 10 league appearances, said the BBC. He has scored once and provided one assist.

Jankto has so far spent most of his club career in Italy with Udinese, Ascoli and Sampdoria. He then signed for Getafe in 2021. He has also made 45 appearance for the Czech Republic, scoring four goals since making his debut in 2017. He started for his country in the Euro 2020 group match against England at Wembley in June 2021.

“Jankto is the most prominent active men’s player to come out, by some distance,” said Paul MacInnes in The Guardian. And, he added, Jankto’s “age and personal history” could be “significant in helping change perceptions… within the game”.

The response so far

Jankto’s video had been watched a million times on Twitter within four hours of being uploaded, said The Guardian. It received 100,000 likes in the same period on Instagram.

Sparta Prague released a statement in support of the player, which read: “Jakub Jankto spoke openly about his sexual orientation with the club’s management, coach and teammates some time ago.

“No further comments. No more questions. You have our support. Live your life, Jakub. Nothing else matters.”

Jankto’s Spanish team Getafe likewise said: “Our maximum respect and unconditional support for our footballer, Jakub Jankto.”

Saudi-backed LIV golf series: 'a controversial threat' to the sport ...

The controversial, Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series will finally tee off today at the Centurion Club in Hertfordshire.

Before the lucrative event even began it has been accused of “disrupting the dynamics in professional men’s golf”, said USA Today, and threatens to continue doing so as the season goes on.

“Hanging above the shifting balance of power in the business of golf are the questions of ethics and morals facing players and executives who have joined the league,” explained the newspaper.

The new series presents a very real and “controversial threat” to the historic US PGA Tour, according to Martin Rogers on Fox Sports, while the pros joining the new set-up were labelled by Jamie Weir on Sky Sports as a “rag-tag bunch of struggling players” who were purely motivated by the “cold hard cash on offer”.

Potential sanctions

Tuesday’s announcement that former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson would quit the PGA Tour to play in the new eight-match tournament came as the latest significant blow. The American will join five other players in relinquishing their membership of the US tour to join LIV.

Others, like Phil Mickelson and Graeme McDowell, have resisted quitting the official tour but face potential sanctions for their involvement with the new event. The Times reported they could face punishments ranging from “temporary suspensions or fines” to complete bans “depending on the level of involvement”.

High-profile players such as Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have openly opposed the tournament but the likes of European Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio García are playing in the inaugural Centurion Club event, and The Telegraph reported that American major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed have signed up and will play in the second event, starting in Portland on 3 July.

Eye-watering sums

Backed by the Saudi government controlled Public Investment Fund and fronted by former Australian pro Greg Norman, the LIV Series is offering eye-watering sums of money to attract participants.

Six-time major champion Mickelson is expected to receive $200m for his participation, while the first event in the series will feature an overall prize pot of $25m, with the winner receiving $4m. For contrast, the winner of the US Masters tournament in 2022 received $2.7m from a prize pot of $15m.

LIV’s monetary power, as well as the disruption to the traditional calendar, leaves golf “mired in turmoil” and with uncertainty “it has never encountered before”, said Fox Sports. Players, and LIV frontman Norman, have refused to earnestly engage in questions around Saudi-sportswashing – the country's attempt to “gain legitimacy on the world stage and deflect from [its] human rights violations”, as The Times said.

“Just tell us it’s the money,” said Brendan Quinn in The Athletic. “Stop telling us you’re excited to play what amounts to video game golf.” Weir agreed, writing for Sky Sports: “There’s one motive and one motive alone for these players. Money.”

Fans will decide

Ultimately the success of LIV will rely on how many people consume it, though the tournament will initially only be streamed on the organisers’ website and on Youtube and Facebook. “Fans must choose whether this is a black eye for golf,” said Rogers on Fox Sports.

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, though, believes controversy around Saudi money will pass as the LIV series attracts viewers. “As much as it’s being used as a stick to beat those guys and it’s a big issue for anyone who is going,” Harrington said, “clearly time will pass,” Sports Illustrated reported.

Australia expects: Ashleigh Barty eyes history at Melbourne grand ...

Ashleigh Barty, the world No.1 women’s tennis player, has become the first Australian in 42 years to reach the women’s singles final of the Australian Open grand slam. In the semi-final, the 25-year-old was too strong for Madison Keys, winning 6-1, 6-3 in straight sets, and will now face 27th seed Danielle Collins in the showpiece Melbourne match.

Top seed Barty, a two-time grand slam champion, is just “one win away from becoming the first Australian – man or woman – to win the singles since Christine O’Neil won the title in 1978”, the BBC said. This year so far she has “looked unstoppable and unburdened by the weight of Australian expectation”.

Barty picked up her 14th career title and third on home soil in Adelaide three weeks ago and is now on a ten-match winning streak, the WTA said. After her 62-minute victory on Rod Laver Arena, the Queenslander said: “It’s just unreal – as an Aussie we are spoiled that we are a Grand Slam nation, and now we have a chance to play for a title.”

Cricket ‘set things right’

Barty’s rise to the top of women’s tennis is an “incredible story”, said the Daily Mail. After picking up a racquet at the age of four, her talent “was obvious” and she quickly competed against older children. However, after going overseas to play international competitions when she was 14, the schedule “became too much and the teenager found herself overwhelmed”.

In 2014 she “walked away from a promising tennis career”, Fox Sports said. Barty revealed she got “twisted” and quit tennis to be with the people who loved her. “I think I just needed to find myself a little bit,” she said. “I felt like I got twisted and maybe a little bit lost along the way in the first part of my career, just within myself mentally and what I wanted to do.”

Turning her attention to cricket, Barty earned a contract with the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League. After all the “media attention, pressure and depression” as a dazzling tennis prodigy, the stint playing cricket “set things right”, The Guardian said.

Barty’s positive impact

Returning to tennis in 2016, Barty has gone on to win the French Open and WTA Finals in 2019 and is the reigning Wimbledon champion. On Saturday, she will have the whole of Australia supporting her bid for more grand slam glory.

Former British No.1 Tim Henman believes the support from the home crowd has acted as a catalyst to fuel her run to the final, SportsKeeda reported. “Ashleigh Barty is so popular [here in Australia],” Henman said on Eurosport. “I also think it is great that we had some negative stories before this event started. Now we’ve got so many positive stories at the end and I think it has been led by Barty.”

One Australian who will definitely be watching – and supporting Barty – is tennis legend Laver. On Twitter, the 11-time grand slam winner praised his fellow Australian and backed her to beat Collins on the centre court that bears his name. “Congratulations on another outstanding performance @AshBarty,” he tweeted. “I know you can go all the way.”

'I'm fulfilled, I'm happy': Ash Barty retires at the top of her game | The ...

Ash Barty, the women’s world No.1 and reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, has shocked the world of tennis by announcing her retirement from the sport at the age of 25.

Speaking to friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua in a video posted on Instagram, the Australian revealed she was quitting tennis as she wanted to “chase other dreams”.

“Success for me is knowing I’ve given everything I can – I’m fulfilled, I’m happy, and I know how much work it takes to bring the best out of yourself,” said the three-time grand slam champion. “I’ve said it to my team multiple times, it’s just that I don’t have that in me, I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want – everything it takes to challenge yourself at the top level anymore. I am spent... physically I had nothing more to give. I’ve given absolutely everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis.”

Barty’s second ‘retirement’

This marks Barty’s second “retirement” from the sport, Sky News said. She walked away from tennis as a teenager in late-2014, before “returning two years later and rising rapidly up the rankings”.

Barty’s rise to the top of women’s tennis was an “incredible story”, said the Daily Mail. After picking up a racquet at the age of four, her talent “was obvious” and she quickly competed against older children. However, after going overseas to play international competitions when she was 14, the schedule “became too much and the teenager found herself overwhelmed”.

In 2014 she “walked away from a promising tennis career”, Fox Sports said. Barty revealed she got “twisted” and quit tennis to be with the people who loved her. “I think I just needed to find myself a little bit,” she said. “I felt like I got twisted and maybe a little bit lost along the way in the first part of my career, just within myself mentally and what I wanted to do.”

Turning her attention to cricket, Barty earned a contract with the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League. After all the “media attention, pressure and depression” as a dazzling tennis prodigy, the stint playing cricket “set things right”, The Guardian said.

‘As a person, this is right’

After winning the Australian Open in January, Barty became the first Aussie to win the men’s or women’s singles title in 44 years. Now feeling “so happy” and “so ready”, Barty knows “in my heart, for me as a person, this is right”.

“People may not understand it and I’m ok with that because for me, Ash Barty the person has so many dreams that she wants to chase after that don’t necessarily involve travelling the world, being away from my family, being away from my home, which is where I’ve always wanted to be, it’s where I’ve grown up,” she said. “I’ll never ever ever stop loving tennis, it’ll always be a massive part of my life, but now I think it’s important that I get to enjoy the next phase of my life as Ash Barty the person, not Ash Barty the athlete.”

‘One of the great champions of the WTA’

Across all-levels of play, Barty had a 305-102 record in singles and a 200-64 record in doubles, earning total career prize money of $23,829,071, Greg Garber said on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) website. Her current reign as world No.1 is the “fourth-longest streak in the history of the WTA Tour”, behind Steffi Graf (186 weeks), Serena Williams (186) and Martina Navratilova (156). Her 121 total weeks are seventh on the all-time list.

Steve Simon, chief executive of the WTA, praised Barty for being the “ultimate competitor” who always led by example through the “unwavering professionalism and sportsmanship” she brought to every match. “With her accomplishments at the grand slams, WTA Finals, and reaching the pinnacle ranking of No.1 in the world, she has clearly established herself as one of the great champions of the WTA,” he said.

How the tennis world reacted on social media

Ash, what can I say, you know I have tears right? My friend, I will miss you on tour. You were different, and special, and we shared some amazing moments. What's next for you? Grand Slam champion in golf?! Be happy and enjoy your life to the max xo Simo@ashbarty pic.twitter.com/WbX7kXnJ1l — Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) March 23, 2022

Congrats on an incredible career Ash 🙏 It was a privilege to share a court with you. Wishing you all the best in your next chapter, @ashbarty. You will be missed 🥺❤ pic.twitter.com/bpL20nIUJQ — Karolina Pliskova (@KaPliskova) March 23, 2022

Ash, I have no words... actually you are showing your true class leaving tennis in this beautiful way. I am so happy I could share the court with you.. tennis will never be the same without you! I admire you as a player and a person.. wishing you only the best! ❤@ashbarty — Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) March 23, 2022

Happy for @ashbarty gutted for tennis 🎾 what a player❤ — Andy Murray (@andy_murray) March 23, 2022

An incredible tennis player but more importantly one of the nicest people on tour ♥ Congratulations @ashbarty on an amazing career and good luck with what’s next! pic.twitter.com/Mhwzyf6nbX — Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) March 23, 2022

Scottie Scheffler wins the Masters: a meteoric rise to be the world's ...

What a year it’s been so far for Scottie Scheffler. It’s only April but the 25-year-old American has already climbed to the top spot on the Official Golf World Rankings, having won three out of five starts on the PGA Tour. Then on Sunday he won his fourth tournament of the season, which was the biggest of them all – the Masters, his first career major title.

At Augusta National Scheffler showed why he’s the No.1 golfer in the world and “cemented his place as the dominant force in the men’s game”, said Jonathan Jurejko on BBC Sport. Scheffler claimed the Green Jacket, Masters trophy and the $2.7m (£2m) winners’ purse with a one-under 71 in the final round, finishing on ten-under, three shots clear of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy.

Scheffler held a three-shot overnight lead going into Sunday’s final round of the first major of the year. And afterwards he revealed that he “cried like a baby” on the morning of the final round because “he doubted if he was ready to win one of the sport’s most iconic tournaments”, the BBC added.

In his post-tournament speech, Scheffler said that the first time he thought of winning was “probably Friday in the afternoon”. When asked how it felt to be the Masters champion, he added: “I want to go home! I’m pretty tired right now – I’m really at a loss for words. I can’t thank my family enough – they’ve made many sacrifices over the years. To have the honour of winning the tournament and to have my family with me was incredible.”

With this victory, Scheffler becomes the first player to win four times in a six-start stretch on the PGA Tour since Jason Day in 2015. He becomes the sixth player to win in his first PGA Tour start as world No.1 and sixth world No.1 to win the Masters.

‘Standout player at every single level’

The last two months have been “transformative” for Scheffler, who in February “didn’t have a PGA Tour victory to his name”, said Ben Morse on CNN. Now in the “form of his life”, over the four days at the lush, sprawling golf club in Augusta, Scheffler produced “some excellent golf” and refused to “falter under the pressure of being the tournament’s leader for nearly three days”.

'Operation stop Mbappé': how Kyle Walker can be England's 'secret ...

Gareth Southgate has taken England to the semi-finals and final of two major championships during his six years as head coach. It’s an impressive record, but now the Three Lions are preparing for what is perhaps the biggest challenge of his tenure yet – a World Cup quarter-final against France, the reigning champions.

“Make no mistake”, this last-eight clash will be a “gargantuan test” for Southgate’s team, said Martin Samuel in the Daily Mail. France “could well be the best team here” in Qatar, and are certainly the “best of the European contingent”.

Didier Deschamps’s world champions are in “free-scoring form”, said Nick Ames in The Guardian, but they have been “ravaged by injuries” and are “unbalanced in some areas”. They do, however, possess one “significant” strength: Kylian Mbappé, the World Cup’s top scorer, with five goals so far. As he showed in the last-16 against Poland, the 23-year-old can “illuminate the dreariest of games in an instant”.

If England are to knock out the holders and reach the semi-finals, they will have to nullify the threat of France’s talented attack. “Operation stop Mbappé” was one of the headlines on the front page of the i newspaper this morning, a theme that has been a major talking point ahead of Saturday’s match at the Al Bayt Stadium.

‘Right, let’s have a race’

The Three Lions looked “mightily impressive” in their 3-0 win over Senegal in the round of 16, said Kobe Tong on GiveMeSport. “But it’s one thing to beat the champions of Africa and another thing to beat the champions of the world.” And one of the “biggest threats” that Southgate’s men will face is the “sheer amount of pace” that France boast out wide.

England’s defence have been in decent form in Qatar, conceding just two goals in four games. However, they will need to be at their very best against the likes of Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembélé – who all offer different traits in Les Bleus’s front-line.

Mbappé “may not get it all his own way” though, said Lewis Winter in the Daily Express, because Southgate and England have their own “secret weapon” – Manchester City defender Kyle Walker. Former England striker Theo Walcott has argued that while the French star is a “different beast”, he could “struggle” against Walker’s “physicality”.

Ex-England defenders Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville agreed that Walker’s pace is key for the Three Lions’s hopes. He’s the “only defender on the planet” right now that will “stand there and go to Mbappé, ‘right, 1-v-1, let’s have a race’”, Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five YouTube show.

In terms of “physicality, pace and experience”, Neville couldn’t think of anyone better able to match Mbappé than 32-year-old Walker. “That’s not to say he’ll keep him quiet for 90 minutes as Mbappé is sensational and special,” he said on Sky Sports. “But we have a chance as Walker can match him in certain areas.”

Whatever happens in this World Cup quarter-final, it promises to be a “game of a lifetime”, Neville added. “They don’t come around in your life very often. They are big moments. I can’t wait.”

England vs. France takes place on Saturday at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. Kick-off is at 7pm (GMT) and the match is live on ITV.

Serena Williams and her 'evolution' away from tennis | The Week UK

Such is her standing in the worlds of sport and culture, it was no surprise that Serena Williams announced her imminent retirement from tennis by writing an intimate first-person essay in Vogue. In its September issue, the fashion magazine said the 40-year-old would bid farewell to tennis “on her own terms – and in her own words”.

In fact retirement is not a term that she’s ever liked, “it doesn’t feel like a modern word to me”, she wrote. “I’ve been thinking of this as a transition. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

A few years ago Williams “quietly started” Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, she started a family. “I want to grow that family.”

‘I should have had 30-plus slams’

It’s “almost the end of an era”, said Amy Lofthouse on BBC Sport. As “one of the greatest tennis players of all time” and a “sporting icon”, it will be “difficult to imagine tennis without the American legend”, who has won “all there is to win” during her 27-year career.

A winner of 23 grand slam singles titles in the open era, Williams is just one behind the all-time record held by Australian Margaret Court. In her essay she suggested that the 2022 US Open, which starts on 29 August, will be her farewell event. It was in New York, as a “braided 17-year-old phenomenon”, where she lifted the family’s “first major title” in 1999, said Bryan Armen Graham in The Guardian. Her older sister Venus, a seven-time grand slam champion, won the US Open major a year later and in 2001.

Within reach of Court’s 24 slams, Williams would “be lying” if she said she didn’t want that record. “Obviously I do,” she wrote. “But day to day, I’m really not thinking about her. The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams.”

With 23 slams and 73 career titles, Williams has “set the marker that matters”, said Tumaini Carayol in The Guardian. “No asterisks needed”, her tennis legacy “goes far beyond statistics”.

In Vogue’s September issue, @serenawilliams prepares to say farewell to tennis on her own terms and in her own words. “It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine,” she says. “I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next” https://t.co/6Zr0UXVTH1 pic.twitter.com/YtGtcc18a9 — Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) August 9, 2022

‘It hurts like a 120mph serve to the stomach’

Williams’ retirement will be “a crushing loss” for tennis, said Johnny Oleksinski in the New York Post. “Without a doubt”, she is a “once-in-a-generation athlete” on the “same godlike level” as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James or Tom Brady. “The sports world will be a lot less ferocious or fascinating without her.” We all knew this sad day was coming, but it “still hurts like a 120-miles-per-hour serve to the stomach”.

Lewis Hamilton's future: could he retire from F1? | The Week UK

There will be major changes for Formula 1 in 2022 as a new generation of cars hit the track and a record 23 races feature on the schedule. However, with just six weeks to go until the first pre-season test in Barcelona, the sport could yet have to deal with the biggest change of all: the possibility of Lewis Hamilton not being on the grid.

Following the 2021 season’s highly-contentious last race – and lap – in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton’s future in F1 remains “unclear”, Sky Sports reported. The British driver missed out on winning a record-breaking eighth world title as Max Verstappen won his first in “hugely controversial circumstances”.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team withdrew their appeal against the result as governing body the FIA “pledged an investigation into the events surrounding the Safety Car procedures”, the broadcaster said. And the FIA’s Abu Dhabi investigation is understood to be “key” to the resolution of Hamilton’s future.

Mercedes want to see something “tangible”, said Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater. “It’s been put to me like this: the longer this drags on then the worse the Lewis Hamilton situation is, and that is from a senior source.”

‘He is a man with clear values’

After the 2021 season finale, Hamilton made a “cryptic reference” when speaking with Jenson Button in the post-race interview. “We gave it everything and never gave up and that’s the most important thing,” he said. “We’ll see about next year.”

However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff last month said the driver would “never overcome the pain and the distress” that was caused at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and he indicated that it was not a certainty the 37-year-old would be back in 2022, Wheels24 reported.

Wolff “very much” hopes that Hamilton continues racing, because he is the “greatest driver of all time”. But when asked if the Brit could retire, Wolff added: “As a racer his heart will say I need to continue because he’s at the peak of his game. But we have to overcome the pain that was caused upon him. He is a man with clear values.”

FIA boss ‘confident’ Hamilton will return

Hamilton has not posted anything on his social media channels since before the race in Abu Dhabi and this has prompted suggestions of retirement in some circles.

But racing fans across the globe may “breathe a sigh of relief”, after Mercedes “dropped a huge hint” that their driver will be on the grid in 2022, the Daily Mirror reported. On 2 January Mercedes tweeted an image of Hamilton along with the caption: “Adversity causes some to break; others to break records.”

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the new FIA president, disagreed with suggestions Hamilton would retire. “No, I don’t think he will [quit],” he said. “I’ll ask your question, did Lewis declare that he’s not going to race? No. Exactly. Being a driver, you declare yourself, you don’t let the rumours [talk].”

Ben Sulayem is “confident” that Hamilton will return as he is a “big part of motorsport” and of F1. “The new era [can add to] Lewis’s wins and achievements, and also Verstappen is there,” he added. “I am very confident that you will see a very challenging Formula 1 season next year.”