After a slew of resignations and letters of no confidence were released on Wednesday 6 July, the world was waiting for – but wasn’t quite prepared for – the news of prime minister Boris Johnson’s resignation.

The pressure has mounted on Johnson and, after a record number of resignations in the span of 24 hours, Johnson has resigned as Conservative party leader, following further ministerial resignations.

It’s said that he will continue to serve as prime minister until the autumn to allow a new leadership contest to take place. The news comes after multiple MPs have stepped down including Helen Whately, Damian Hinds, George Freeman, Guy Opperman, Chris Philp and James Cartlidge.

On the night of Tuesday 5 July, chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid led the charge, resigning from their roles within 10 minutes of each other, closely followed by a flurry of junior ministers and aides.

The pair cited a lack of confidence in prime minister Boris Johnson, his political approach and the future of the Conservative party. In Sunak’s letter, he stated that “it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different”.

The best meme reactions to Boris Johnson’s resignation and a government on the brink of collapse