Boris Johnson has delivered his resignation speech on the steps of 10 Downing Street.
The Prime Minister said: “I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world – but them’s the breaks.”
He also assured people that ‘our future together is golden’.
While delivering his speech, nearby protesters blasted Bye Bye Baby by the Bay City Rollers.
There were loud boos and jeers when Mr Johnson mentioned the NHS.
PM Boris Johnson delivering his resignation speech today. Credit: Sky News
He said that he was ‘immensely proud of the achievements of this government’, referring to Brexit, the war in Ukraine, and the pandemic.
It’s not yet known when he will officially leave Downing Street, as the process begins to appoint a new leader.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCklg0Flsr8
The PM had faced increasing pressure to step down from his position in recent weeks amid several scandals, from Partygate to Pincher.
A slew of resignations from across government have flooded in this week, with 59 MPs quitting in the last two days, including his trusted Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Boris Johnson’s resignation speech in full
“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 PM and I’ve agreed with SIr Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs that process of choosing that leader should begin now. The timetable will announced next week. I have today appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.
“I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting Conservative for the first time, thankyou for that incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative mandate since 1987, the biggest share of a vote since 1979.
“The reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person is not just because I wanted to do so but because I thought it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019. Of course, I am immensely proud of our achievements in government. From getting Brexit done to settling our relations with the continent for half a century, reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in Parliament, getting us all through the pandemic, delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, the fastest exit from lockdown and in the last few months standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.
“Let me say now to the people of Ukraine, we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes, at the same time in this country we’ve been pushing forward a vast programme for infrastructure and skills, technology, the biggest in a century because if I have one insight into human beings it’s the genius, talent and enthusiasm and imagination are evenly distributed through the population but opportunity is not and that’s why we must keep levelling up, keep unleashing the potential of every part of the UK. If we can do that we will be the most prosperous in Europe.
Boris Johnson has delivered his resignation speech
“I have been trying to tell my colleagues it would be eccentric to change governments when we’re delivering so much and have such a vast mandate and actually only a handful of points behind in the polls when we’re midterm and after quite a few months of relentless sledging and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally. I regret not being successful in those arguments and of course it’s painful not to see through so many ideas and projects myself.
“As we’ve seen at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves. My friends in politics, no-one is remotely indispensable. Our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader equally committed to taking us through tough times not just helping families to get through it but changing and improving the way we do things, cutting the burdens on businesses and yes, cutting taxes because that’s the way to generate the growth and income we need to pay for great public services.
“To that new leader, whoever he or she may be, I say that I will give you as much support as I can. To you, the British public, I know there will be many people who will be relieved and quite a few disappointed, I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world but them’s the breaks.
“I want to thank Carrie, our children and all the members of my family who have had to put up with so much for so long. I want to thank the fearless British civil service for all the help and support you’ve given our police and our NHS who at critical moments helped to extend my own period in office as well as our armed services and our agencies that I so admire around the world and our Conservative members and supporters whose selfless campaigners makes our democracy possible.
“I want to thank the wonderful staff here at Number 10 and Chequers and our prop force detectives, the one group who never level. Above all, I want to thank you, the British public for the immense privilege you have given me. 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.
“Being Prime Minister is an education in itself. I’ve travelled to every part of the UK and in addition to the beauty of our natural world I’ve found so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways, even if things can sometimes seem dark now our future together is golden. Thankyou very much.”
Featured image: Sky News
News
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
“We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and people will come from far and wide to see it.”
Featured Image – Rochdale Council
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The Lowry Theatre undergoes revamp following Biffa Award grant
Danny Jones
The Lowry in Salford Quays has had a bit of TLC with one of its biggest theatre spaces undergoing a pretty significant refurb this past month.
Following a well-deserved grant distributed via the Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through community and environmental projects across the UK, the legendary local theatre received nearly £75k last year.
As a result, all 440 seats and various other aspects of The Lowry‘s Quays Theatre have now been renovated and refurbished.
The short story is, she looks more gorgeous than ever – see for yourself:
Being initially handed over in March 2024, The Lowry was awarded a total of £74,816 to reupholster seating in the venue’s Quays Theatre with new padding and fabric.
After almost 25 years of constant use as one of the most popular theatres in the North, the seats in the Quays Theatre were much in need of a refurb, and with work completed in December, Lowry visitors can now enjoy watching the venue’s wide range of theatre, dance, comedy and drama in comfort.
The work was actually carried out between July and December, with seats being carefully removed in batches and reupholstered off-site.
This was made possible due to the Biffa Award’s most recent ‘Cultural Facilities’ theme, which aims to improve recreation, interest and education, drawing funds from the UK government’s wider Landfill Communities Fund.
The old fabric and padding were disposed of sustainably, with lots of it being repurposed where possible to minimise waste and all the new materials used meet current guidance for safety and quality.
The Lowry’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Development, Gwen Oakden, said of the long overdue update:“It is so important that our audiences are able to enjoy our world-class performing arts programme in a comfortable and welcoming space.
“For many visitors to the Quays Theatre, this is their first experience of live performance – often to see a family show or as part of a school trip. We really want it to be the best experience possible, and for them to begin a lifelong relationship with Lowry.
“As a registered charity, without the generous support of this Biffa Award, for which we’re hugely grateful, we couldn’t have carried out this important work for our audiences.
As we head into our 25th Anniversary year, we are delighted to be able to welcome audiences and visitors can enjoy the beautiful and revived Quays Theatre.”
As for the Biffa side of things, Grants Manager Rachel Maidment added: “We are delighted to have supported The Lowry in refurbishing the Quays Theatre seating, ensuring audiences can continue to enjoy performances in comfort.
“Through Biffa’s Cultural Facilities theme, we fund projects that provide engaging and inspiring spaces for communities. The Lowry is a key cultural venue, and we’re proud that our funding, made possible through the government Fund, has helped enhance the experience for visitors for years to come.”
Like most Mancs, we love The Lowry, so here’s to hosting countless more theatregoers in the most comfortable seats possible for generations to come.
We’ve been to some brilliant performances around here of late.
Daisy Jackson -
7th July 2022 
