Conservative Newton Abbot MP Anne Marie Morris, whose constituency includes Dawlish, has issued a statement following the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson today (Thursday 7 July).

Ms Morris submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister before Christmas in 2021. She also more recently described Johnson's no-confidence vote win as 'a hollow victory'.

The statement reads: "When it comes to the effective functioning of Government, clarity is of the upmost importance. Therefore, after the uncertainty of recent days and weeks, I welcome the Prime Minister's statement regarding his intention to step down.

"The Prime Minister has achieved a number of successes whilst in office, not least getting Brexit done, spearheading the world-first vaccination roll-out during Covid, and providing robust support to the people of Ukraine in their time of need.

"However, it was clear for a variety of reasons that the trust and confidence in the Prime Minister needed for effective government was no longer there. I thank him for all he has achieved during his time in office and for putting the country first in taking the decision to resign.

"Moving forwards, the most important thing now is to conduct a quick and robust leadership election, so that we can get behind a new leader and Prime Minister who can deliver on the Conservative commitments the Government was elected to deliver on at the 2019 election and get on with dealing with the cost of living crisis and the other critical issues of the day."

Councillor Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrats, Dawlish) also reacted to the news.

He said: "While Boris Johnson has finally recognised the reality of his situation in losing the confidence of his MPs, it was telling that he didn't apologise for the chaos and his lack of leadership and integrity.

"It is clear that he shouldn't be in post whilst his party chooses a new leader over the next three months and that MPs should select an alternative caretaker – one who might take some care of the country."