Image source, Ukrainian presidential press service

On this most turbulent of days, Boris Johnson has managed to speak to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky "to reiterate the United Kingdom's steadfast support".

Johnson said the UK would continue to supply vital defensive aid for as long as needed, and to work to try and end the grain blockade in the coming weeks.

"President Zelensky thanked the prime minister for his decisive action on Ukraine, and said the Ukrainian people were grateful for the UK's efforts," a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

Johnson finished the call by telling Zelensky: "You're a hero, everybody loves you."

Zelensky, meanwhile, has called the PM "a true friend of Ukraine", adding he is confident the UK’s policy toward Ukraine won’t be changing any time soon despite the PM's resignation.

Ukraine gained a lot from their relationship with the prime minister, including first and foremost military support, Zelensky has told CNN.

It's certainly been a hectic two days at Downing Street, culminating with Boris Johnson's announcement that he'll quit as Conservative Party leader.

This 60-second clip shows how it all unfolded.

It's been a frantic day with PM Boris Johnson announcing he will stand down as Tory leader.

Here's a summary of the day's events so far:

• Johnson is currently set to stay as prime minister while a new Tory leader is selected
• In his resignation speech, Johnson said he'd tried to convince colleagues it was an "eccentric" decision to change the government and blamed "herd instinct" in Westminster for his exit
• The PM has been appointing new cabinet members following a raft of resignations in recent days, including James Cleverly as the third education secretary in as many days
• But dozens of government positions remain unfilled as questions remain if he will be able to appoint people willing to do them
• The timetable for succession is set to be announced by the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs early next week
• But a growing number of Conservative MPs, party grandees and opposition figures are calling for him to go sooner, allowing a caretaker PM to take over
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned the Tories that if they don't get rid of Johnson "Labour will, in the national interest, bring a no confidence vote - because this can't go on".
• The names of those planning to stand in a leadership contest are beginning to emerge. Attorney General Suella Braverman says she will put her name forward
• Former health secretary Sajid Javid is also seriously considering a run, the BBC understands

Image source, Getty Images

Sajid Javid - who dramatically quit as health secretary on Tuesday - is seriously considering running for Conservative Party leader and PM, the BBC's Nick Eardley understands.

See who the other possible candidates are here.

Image source, PA Media

Former Prime Minister Sir John Major has written to the chairman of the Conservative's backbench 1922 committee warning it is "unwise" for Boris Johnson to remain in office while his successor is chosen.

If Johnson stays at No 10 Major says he will still have the power to "make decisions which will affect the lives of those within all four nations" of the UK and further afield.

While some argue that Johnson's cabinet will "restrain" him, Major adds, that the PM's previous cabinet "did not - or could not - do so".

Major suggests an interim PM, like Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, or a streamlined election process would be "in the national interest".

"For the overall wellbeing of the country, Johnson should not remain in Downing Street... for any longer than necessary to effect the smooth transition of government," Major writes.

Deputy PM Dominic Raab will not run to be the next leader of the Conservative Party, the BBC understands.

Boris Johnson will host a cabinet meeting at 15:00 this afternoon, a Downing Street spokesman has confirmed.

Cabinet ministers have begun arriving at No 10 ahead of the meeting.

Ione Wells
Political Correspondent, BBC News

There is still chatter among Tory MPs about whether Boris Johnson will really be able to fill all the vacant positions in his government.

Remember - as well as the cabinet - there are dozens of ministerial posts to fill.

One ministerial aide who resigned yesterday tells me he thinks some colleagues will “put the country first” and accept jobs if only to allow government to keep going in the interim — but suggested there were few colleagues who actually wanted to.Meanwhile, everyone on the Parliament terrace is forensically unpicking the prime minister’s speech - not just MPs, but also parliamentary staff, security guards and others.

A theme a couple are picking up on is the lack of an explicit apology from the prime minister.

Image source, PA Media

Newly-appointed Welsh Secretary Robert Buckland has been explaining why he decided to accept a job in Johnson's cabinet less than 24 hours after calling for him to resign.

Buckland, who was sacked by Boris Johnson as justice secretary last year, says he only took the job because he knew Johnson would be resigning.

He tells Radio 4's World at One he was offered the job late this morning, and accepted it as he felt it was his duty to help "settle things down".

He says while a caretaker PM has an obligation to carry out existing policies, it would be "odd" for any new policies to be announced.

Asked about who might stand to replace Johnson, Buckland says he didn't know who the candidates would be, before adding "I don't know... me, perhaps".

Asked if he was serious, he says: "Well, who knows. I am always ready to serve the country in whatever capacity."

But he adds that it's an "unlikely scenario".

Image source, Wikimedia Commons

Damian Green - who was effectively deputy PM under Theresa May - has thrown his support behind Tom Tugendhat to be the next Tory leader.

"I think we need a fresh start. And, in particular, we need to restore trust in government, not just in this government or a Conservative government, but in the way we do government more widely," Green tells Sky News.

"I think having somebody who's not in the cabinet... I think that's an advantage."

Asked if Tugendhat is definitely running, he says: "I hope so, otherwise I wouldn't be saying this. So, yes, I think you can, you can take it that Tom is going to run."

Tugendhat is yet to announce whether he will run for office.

Image source, .

Boris Johnson has today quit as Conservative leader. Here are some of the runners and riders to replace him.

Rishi Sunak

The ex-chancellor who dramatically quit on Tuesday night was once seen as an obvious successor to Johnson. But revelations about his wife's tax affairs and being fined for breaking lockdown rules may have made things more difficult for him.

Liz Truss

The foreign secretary was first among the cabinet to keep with Boris Johnson after Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid quit and is seen as a major leadership contender. Earlier today, she said Johnson "made the right decision" to quit but the party needed to keep governing until a new leader was found.

Sajid Javid

He was the first cabinet member to quit, as health secretary, on Tuesday evening, sparking a chain of events that led to Johnson's resignation. He made it to the final four in the last leadership contest in 2019.

Jeremy Hunt

The former foreign and health secretary has remained an influential presence in Westminster from the backbenches since he came second to Boris Johnson in the 2019 Tory leadership contest.

Michael Gove

The former levelling up secretary has run twice before to be Tory leader. The former BBC journalist and Times newspaper columnist had been one of the longer-serving ministers in the cabinet but was sacked and called a "snake" by No 10 on Wednesday night.

Nadhim Zahawi

The current chancellor cemented his reputation as a safe pair of hands when he took on the role of vaccines minister in the pandemic, and garnered much credit for the UK's successful rollout. He has recently been education secretary before becoming chancellor in the wake of Rishi Sunak's exit.

Ben Wallace

The defence secretary and former soldier has seen his profile and reputation grow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as the UK made an early decision to support Kyiv with weapons and training. New YouGov polling shows he's the favourite among Tory members to replace Johnson.

Read more here.

James Daly, MP for Bury North, says the PM's resignation has "nothing to do with herd instinct", as Boris Johnson insisted in his statement earlier.

Daly tells the BBC the MPs he works with are "diligent, professional, honest people" and each one had decided it's in the best interests of their constituents and the country for Johnson to go.

He praises the prime minister for the government's investment in areas such as his, saying Johnson has had a "really positive impact on towns across the north of England".

He says he would personally prefer Johnson to leave today, but adds that it would be "fine" for him to remain as caretaker leader as long as he brings "talented people" that have resigned back into the cabinet.

Can Johnson persuade MPs he's fit to stay in power until October?published at 14:14 British Summer Time 7 July 2022

14:14 BST 7 July 2022

Chris Mason
Political editor

We've still got a constitutional question of whether it's possible for Boris Johnson to continue as prime minister until the autumn.

He was making the argument that it is - that he's assembling a new cabinet and filling the positions left vacant by those who've resigned in the last few days - but there are people within in his own party and others on the opposition benches who say that isn't tenable.

Labour are talking about bringing about a moment in the House of Commons for a vote of no confidence, which, if the Conservatives lose, will trigger a general election.

The crucial thing that we need to watch in the coming hours and days is how does Johnson's resignation statement go down amongst Conservative MPs - and more broadly in Parliament? Essentially, what is the mood of the party after what he's had to say, and what are others tempted to do?

Boris Johnson will have hoped that by saying what he has today, he has grasped back at least some control of events in the coming months - but only some. And we'll see just how much in the coming days.

Our colleagues at Radio 5 Live have been getting reaction from people around the country as Boris Johnson announced he was quitting as leader of the Conservative Party.

Jenny in Wootton, Bedfordshire believes the country will "rue the day" Boris Johnson quit as Tory leader.

"The Conservative Party has done this before to other prime ministers… and they suffer for it," she says.

"In the big things he's done really well… these MPs wouldn't be in their posts if it wasn’t for Boris."

Elizabeth in Essex thinks Boris was too busy "fighting fires over his lies" to deal with the issues facing the country.

"We have an enormous cost of living problem, we've got people who can’t afford to put food on their table," she says.

"This is Great Britain, they've turned us into Little Britain – they're all [Conservative MPs] complicit and they need to go."

Karen in Scarborough says she's "tearful" after hearing of Boris Johnson's plan to resign.

"It reminds me of the Lion King with the hyenas circling," she says.

"To me it's all playground antics, 'I'll resign if you do'."

Martin in Nottingham describes the country as a "complete shambles".

Speaking about Johnson’s resignation, he says he's "not pleased it’s happened" and believes he should have been removed as leader earlier.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

The new cabinet is now in place.

But I understand government whips are having discussions on how to get current legislation through Parliament with so few junior ministers remaining.

How will Conservatives choose a new leader?published at 13:27 British Summer Time 7 July 2022

13:27 BST 7 July 2022

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

It’s now up to the 1922 Committee of backbenchers to decide the timetable for electing a new Conservative Party leader.

My sources say there is likely to be a meeting on Monday, where the executive of the committee will decide on rules and timetable.

Tory MPs will whittle the number of candidates down to two. I’m told that’s likely before the summer recess.

The final two - assuming they both want to run - would then spend summer fighting for the leadership.

The expectation is a new leader will be in place by September. But I should emphasise - some Tory MPs want Boris Johnson out much quicker.

Read more: What happens now?

Image source, PA Media

Home Secretary Priti Patel says she is concentrating on the job at hand as Boris Johnson confirms his resignation as Conservative Party leader.

Tweeting , externalminutes before the PM's announcement, Patel said she would continue to lead the Home Office.

Her role demands she remains "entirely focused on the business of government and our national security", Patel says.

Image source, Reuters

One key figure who was standing on the sidelines while Boris Johnson gave his resignation speech was his wife, Carrie.

Carrie, with her and Johnson's baby, Romy, in her arms, was flanked by the PM's loyal Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries outside No 11 Downing Street to watch the speech.

Johnson paid tribute to his wife, saying: "I want to thank Carrie and our children, and all the members of our family who have had to put up with so much for so long."

Brief speech, but not a swift exitpublished at 13:05 British Summer Time 7 July 2022

13:05 BST 7 July 2022

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

The PM's speech was brief. But his departure from office won't necessarily be swift.

He wanted history to know his resignation was the fault of colleagues and not himself. The "herd", as he called it, had moved quickly, despite winning the biggest majority at the 2019 general election since 1987 and attracting new voters to his party.

The subtext is that the coalition of voters - including former Labour supporters - he assembled in 2019 may break up without him to keep it together.

He referenced the bad press he received recently, but didn't spend long on any of the mistakes he may have made in office and which provoked mass resignations and a vote of no confidence.

He simply acknowledged he hadn't persuaded colleagues that he should remain in office.

He will stay on until a new leader is elected, but it is the backbench 1922 committee that will decide the timetable and some MPs want it expedited so he is not still in office until the autumn.

With new cabinet ministers in place, he does not seem in a hurry to leave. He will want a legacy that isn't obscured by the chaotic past few days.