1 / 8 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was clinging to power Thursday, having defiantly responded to calls from his loyalists to step down by sacking a minister and former top ally.2 / 8More than 40 ministers and aides, including three cabinet members, have quit the government since late Tuesday, with resignations continuing to trickle in overnight.3 / 8The Conservative leader was confronted at various points on Wednesday by members of his cabinet telling him it was time to go, local media said.4 / 8His reaction was to fire Communities Secretary Michael Gove, reportedly the first to tell him that he must resign for the good of the Tory party and country, with a source close to Johnson telling the BBC that Gove was 'a snake'.5 / 8Gove was Boris Johnson's right-hand man in Britain's 2016 Brexit referendum campaign, but dramatically chose to run against him for the Conservative leadership that same year, and again in 2019.6 / 8British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign with Downing Street saying he will make a statement to the country today.7 / 8Johnson had been hanging onto power despite the resignation of a string of his top ministers. On Thursday the man he appointed as finance minister less than 48 hours earlier publicly urged Johnson to quit.8 / 8Conservative party leader, George Freeman, who until this morning was a minister, is calling for a caretaker prime minister after reports suggest Boris will wait until the new leader is elected