Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. (Photo: Twitter/ @narendramodi)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

"Congratulations @BorisJohnson on assuming office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I wish you success and look forward to working with you to further strengthen India - UK partnership in all spheres. @10DowningStreet," Modi twote on Twitter.

Beginning a new chapter in the British politics, Boris Johnson on Wednesday officially became the Prime Minister of the country, following the official step down of his predecessor Theresa May.

Johnson visited Buckingham Palace where he met Queen Elizabeth II for over half an hour. The Royal family tweeted an image of Johnson with the queen and confirmed that he has been asked to form the government, reported CNN.

Johnson on Tuesday had won the race to become the head of the conservative party after securing 92,153 votes to his rival Jeremy Hunt's 46,656 votes. 1,60,000 grassroots Conservative party members across the UK had voted to choose the next occupant of 10 Downing Street after May's departure. </s> • Johnson traveled to the Palace to be anointed prime minister by the Queen.
• However, activists formed a human chain which briefly stopped his car.
• Police intervened to break up the protest.

A group of protesters formed a human chain in front of the car taking Boris Johnson to Buckingham Palace.

Protesters in red t-shirts held hands and stood across the Mall – the road leading to the Palace – as Johnson was making his way to meet the Queen and be anointed as the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Climate change-fighting group Greenpeace has claimed responsibility for the stunt.

Police quickly intervened to break up the protest and allow Johnson’s car to continue to the Palace.

Johnson succeeded Theresa May as prime minister on Wednesday after winning the Conservative party leadership contest. He comfortably defeated rival Jeremy Hunt, winning 66% of votes cast by party members. </s> (LONDON) — Buckingham Palace says that Theresa May has tendered her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, clearing the way for Boris Johnson to become the new prime minister of the United Kingdom.

The monarch accepted, setting in train the handover of power.

Johnson arrived at the palace a short time later on Wednesday, having been briefly interrupted by climate protesters who formed a human chain attempting to stop his motorcade. </s> Conservative lawmaker Dominic Raab arrives at 10 Downing Street, London, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. Boris Johnson has replaced Theresa May as Prime Minister, following her resignation last month after Parliament repeatedly rejected the Brexit withdrawal agreement she struck with the European Union. Johnson seems to be clearing out top ministers, firing several members of former leader Theresa May’s Cabinet. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON (AP) — The latest on Boris Johnson officially becoming Britain’s new prime minister (all times local):

Australia’s prime minister has congratulated Boris Johnson and hopes to ink one of Britain’s first bilateral trade deals after Brexit.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday he and Johnson are both looking forward to meeting at the Group of 7 summit in France next month and to “moving very quickly, when the opportunity presents” to reach a trade deal.

Morrison told reporters that “this is a time of change for the United Kingdom” and Johnson “will bring a new opportunity … to resolve what had been some very difficult issues.”

Morrison says it is in the interests of the “broader global economy” that Britain and Europe resolve outstanding Brexit issues.

Dominic Raab has been named Britain’s foreign secretary, the country’s top diplomat and one of the most senior roles in government.

Raab was appointed as new Prime Minister Boris Johnson assembles a Cabinet he hopes can help him deliver Brexit. Raab is a former Brexit secretary and a staunch supporter of Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay is keeping his job in the government shakeup.

Michael Gove, who ran the 2016 campaign to leave the EU alongside Johnson before the pair fell out, was named Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, a powerful Cabinet post with no specific portfolio.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Sajid Javid the country’s new Treasury chief, one of the most senior jobs in Cabinet.

Javid will be responsible for spending and economic policy in Johnson’s government.

Javid, a former banker and ex-home secretary, is the first ethnic minority politician to hold the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Johnson is forming his Cabinet after taking office on Wednesday. He has cleared out many of the ministers who served under predecessor Theresa May. More than half have either quit or been fired.

Jeremy Hunt says he’s leaving the job of foreign secretary as new Prime Minister Boris Johnson sweeps into office with a fresh team at the top.

Hunt’s position had been closely watched. He had challenged Johnson for the job of Conservative leader, and says he wanted to stay on as foreign secretary. But Hunt says Johnson offered another role.

Hunt tweeted that “after 9 yrs in Cabinet & over 300 cab mtgs now is the time to return 2 backbenches from where PM will have my full support.”

Former Prime Minister Theresa May’s secretaries in defense, business, education, transport, local government and international trade have all announced they are leaving the government. Treasury chief Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and May’s de-facto deputy, David Lidington, resigned.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems to be clearing out top ministers, firing several members of former leader Theresa May’s Cabinet.

So far, May’s secretaries in defense, business, education, transport, local government and international trade have all announced they are leaving government. That comes hours after Treasury chief Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and May’s de-facto deputy, David Lidington, resigned.

Some of those leaving had said they would rather go than serve under Johnson, who wants to leave the European Union even if no Brexit agreement is in place to ease the transition. Johnson insists the country will leave the EU by Oct. 31 — “do or die.”

However many British lawmakers, including some in Johnson’s Conservative party, worry that the shock of severing decades of frictionless trade would devastate the country’s economy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she wishes new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson much luck and success and is looking forward to “good cooperation and further deepening of our bilateral relations.”

Merkel said in a statement Wednesday that the relationship of Germany and Britain is “shaped by deep friendship and close partnership.”

She wrote “we’re connected by personal relations of people, economic ties between companies, our united engagement for a rule-based international order as well as our common European heritage.”

Britain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed the U.K. will leave the European Union on Oct. 31 — “no ifs, ands or buts.”

Speaking just moments after Queen Elizabeth II asked him to form a government Wednesday, Johnson sought to persuade the public to back him — saying that the time has come to act on the nation’s departure from the European Union.

In his first speech as leader outside 10 Downing Street, Johnson says “he will get ‘a new deal, a better deal’ from the EU on Brexit.

He added that while there will be difficulties, much of the nation’s confidence has been sapped by the refusal to take action.

Johnson left Buckingham Palace after being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The palace confirmed that Johnson had been appointed “as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury,” another of the British leader’s titles.

He visited the palace to meet with the monarch Wednesday after predecessor Theresa May resigned, failing to secure parliamentary approval for her deal to leave the European Union.

Johnson is going to 10 Downing St. to start work on forming his new administration.

Greenpeace climate protesters have interrupted the motorcade of Boris Johnson as he was traveling to Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth II to get the nod to form a government.

Demonstrators in red shirts and sashes formed a human chain on The Mall, a road leading to the palace, prompting a police officer on a motorcycle to stop just in front of them. Other demonstrators unfurled a banner reading “Climate Emergency.”

The chain was broken when another officer came up from behind and pushed the demonstrators to the side of the road.

Greenpeace said in a statement that U.K. Executive Director John Sauven attempted to hand Johnson Greenpeace’s 134 point Climate Emergency manifesto, which detailed “the wide-ranging policies the new administration must implement to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown.”

Buckingham Palace says that Theresa May has tendered her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, clearing the way for Boris Johnson to become the new prime minister of the United Kingdom.

The monarch accepted, setting in train the handover of power.

Johnson arrived at the palace a short time later on Wednesday, having been briefly interrupted by climate protesters who formed a human chain attempting to stop his motorcade.

Theresa May has left 10 Downing St. for the final time as prime minister and is heading for Buckingham Palace to resign.

In a formal handover of power, May will ask Queen Elizabeth II to invite her successor Boris Johnson to form a government. Johnson will then visit the palace, and leave as Britain’s new prime minister.

May is stepping down after failing to secure lawmakers’ support for a Brexit deal and lead Britain out of the European Union.

In a final speech outside 10 Downing St. with husband Philip by her side, May said it had been “the greatest honor” to serve as Britain’s prime minister.

And she said “I hope that every young girl who has seen a woman prime minister now knows for sure there are no limits to what they can achieve.”

Senior members of Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, including her Treasury chief Philip Hammond, are resigning just hours before Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson succeeds her.

The departures clear the way for Johnson to appoint a raft of fresh faces to his government.

Justice Secretary David Gauke and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart have also resigned.

The three had previously announced they would rather leave rather than serve Johnson, who wants to leave the European Union even if no agreement is in place to ease the transition to a new relationship between Britain and the bloc. He insists that the country will leave the EU by Oct. 31 — “do or die.”

Many lawmakers worry the shock of severing decades of frictionless trade would devastate the country’s economy.

David Lidington, effectively May’s deputy prime minister, also resigned, saying it was “the right moment.” to go. He had not previously pre-announced his departure.

A Russian Foreign Ministry official says no immediate changes in relations with Britain are expected upon Boris Johnson becoming Britain’s new prime minister.

Andrei Kelin, head of the ministry’s European cooperation department, said Wednesday that “I don’t think that something will change in the near future, because Boris Johnson belongs to the team that has spoiled these relations for quite a long time.”

Moscow-London relations have plummeted since the nerve agent poisoning of a Russian former double agent and his daughter in the town of Salisbury last year. Britain blames the poisoning on Russian military intelligence.

Prime Minister Theresa May says she’s glad her successor, Boris Johnson, is committed to “delivering on the vote of the people in 2016” to leave the European Union.

May offered muted praise of the incoming leader in her last Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons. She said she was pleased to be handing power to another Conservative leader.

After Wednesday’s question period, May will travel to Buckingham Palace and submit her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. Johnson, who won a contest to replace her as Conservative leader, will become prime minister later in the day.

May said she would “continue my duties in this House from the back benches” as an ordinary lawmaker.

May shook her head at a suggestion from Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn that she join opposition attempts to stop the “reckless” Johnson, who has vowed to take Britain out of the EU with or without a divorce deal.

The European Parliament is warning new Boris Johnson, who in a few hours is set to become British prime minister, not to count on any renegotiation of the Brexit deal that his predecessor Theresa May negotiated with the EU.

The legislature’s Brexit steering group said in a statement that the statements made by Johnson during his campaign to lead the Conservative Party “have greatly increased the risk of a disorderly exit of the UK.”

It adds that a no-deal exit would be “economically very damaging, even if such damage would not be inflicted equally on both parties.”

The group, including the top Brexit legislators, held talks in a conference call the day after Johnson won the race to succeed May, who is due to quit as prime minister in the next couple of hours.

Johnson has said he would take the UK out of the EU on the Brexit departure date of Oct. 31 “come what may.”

Incoming British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is assembling his top team, with a key job set to go to a controversial figure from the country’s Brexit referendum campaign.

Johnson’s allies say Dominic Cummings, director of the “Vote Leave” campaign in the 2016 referendum, will become a senior adviser to the prime minister.

Cummings has been both praised and criticized for his work as the campaign’s lead strategist. Lawmakers and electoral officials have investigated Vote Leave’s links to the firm Cambridge Analytica, which harvested Facebook users’ data to help political campaigns.

Cummings — who was played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the TV drama “Brexit: The Uncivil War” — was found to be in contempt of Parliament earlier this year for refusing to give evidence to a committee of lawmakers investigating “fake news.”

Boris Johnson is set to form a “cabinet for modern Britain” as he prepares to become prime minister following his victory in an election to lead the governing Conservatives.

The incoming leader has just over three months to make good on his promise to lead the U.K. out of the European Union by Oct. 31.

Johnson easily defeated Conservative rival Jeremy Hunt, winning two-thirds of the votes of about 160,000 party members across the U.K. He becomes prime minister once Queen Elizabeth II formally asks him to form a government.

He will replace Theresa May, who announced her resignation last month after Parliament repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement she struck with the 28-nation bloc.

For more on AP’s Brexit coverage, https://www.apnews.com/Brexit </s> For the 13th time in her 67-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II participated in the quaint-but-crucial royal ritual of the transfer of power from one U.K. prime minister to the next – as Twitter watched from the sidelines and hooted.

First, PM No. 13, Theresa May, arrived at Buckingham Palace Wednesday for an audience to tender her resignation, "which Her Majesty was graciously pleased to accept," said the one-line palace press release.

Within the hour, incoming PM Boris Johnson arrived for his audience with Her Majesty and, as called for under the ritual, the queen requested he form a new government. He is the 14th prime minister of the queen's reign; Winston Churchill was already in office when the queen came to the throne in 1952.

"Mr. Johnson accepted Her Majesty's offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury," the palace statement reported.

The picture showed him bowing a bit awkwardly, half clasping her hand. She was dressed in her usual royal outfit of a blue patterned dress, her black handbag on her left arm.

The jibes about Boris and the queen on Twitter began immediately, focused along the lines of fantasizing "what if" the queen had not carried out her constitutional task: Put her royal imprimatur on what politicians have already decided will be done.

"Wouldn't it have been great if the Queen had just said "No" to Boris Johnson?" tweeted Mal.

"Wouldn’t be funny if the Queen actually said No to Boris," asked Jane Nightingale, following her question with laughing emojis.

And there were memes. "Wouldn't it be great if the Queen said to Boris, feck off no chance!," tweeted Cheryl with a video clip of the queen looking grumpy and the words "One is Not Amused" flashing.

Of course, the queen can't say no – as head of state, her job is to officially "appoint" the prime minister, following her government's instructions. But even some Brits wondered if she could, uh, refuse.

"Can the Queen say no?" tweeted Steve over a video clip of a child throwing a tantrum.

Meanwhile, on The Mall outside the palace, climate-change protesters briefly blocked Johnson's car from entering the palace gates.

Thus began a new governing administration for the British people and for Johnson's Conservative Party.

And thus began the queen's much beloved annual holiday in Scotland, which she had delayed in order to be in London to participate in the ritual. Vanity Fair reported the queen’s demeanor, "while professional, also screams 'I am going on vacation the minute you leave.' ”

The transfer of power has been inevitable for months, ever since May announced she would resign after her repeated failures to persuade Parliament to approve her Brexit deal.

It became certain Tuesday after Tories (those who were paid up in their party dues) voted Johnson to be their next leader, thus allowing the rambunctious former London mayor to achieve his longtime dream of being in charge. (The Tories run the government because they won the last general election.)

It may all seem a little puzzling to Americans accustomed to years-long presidential campaigns: A tiny percentage of the national population can vote to change leaders and suddenly he's the head of government? Well, yes, that's how they do it in a parliamentary system – and the Brits have been doing it this way more or less for hundreds of years.

Everyone has a role to play: May surely did not relish giving up power to Johnson (her party rival, a fierce critic and "do-or-die" Brexiteer), but during her audience with the monarch she has to "advise" the queen about who to call on to form the next government.

Which, of course, the queen already knows; she reads the newspapers, too. And she's been on the job a lot longer than any current politician. Once she does so, it's announced in the court circular and the new PM is officially appointed.

But what did the queen really think about the momentous changes she had just presided over? The monarch is supposed to be above politics and Queen Elizabeth II has stuck to those rules throughout her reign. So she'll never tell – but Johnson might.

According to Vincent McAviney, a correspondent for NBC News and Euronews, Johnson broke with convention by repeating something he said the queen told him, and had to be warned not to do that again.

“ 'I don’t know why anyone would want the job' – what Johnson says HM the Queen told him during his audience! The PM revealed it during a tour in Number 10 before being told off by staff not to repeat those things so loudly," McAviney tweeted of Johnson's trip to 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence.

Of course, the palace would never confirm such a thing, and Johnson's relationship with the truth has been shown in the past to be sometimes tenuous.

But for however long his time as PM lasts, he will meet weekly with the queen for an audience that is supposed to require zipped lips by the two participants. But Johnson might spill more beans than any of his 13 predecessors. </s> Many governments had a quick, decisive response to President Donald Trump’s executive order banning citizens from seven countries from coming to the United States.

Some of the impacted countries — like Iran and Iraq — threatened reciprocal bans; Iraq’s parliament has already taken the first step.

Some Western countries, like France and Germany, spoke out against the ban, citing things like “international obligations” and pledging to contact Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick to lead the State Department, once his nomination is confirmed. Canada, for its part, said it would take refugees banned by the United States, a stronger statement than perhaps any press release.

And then there was the United Kingdom.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who appeared with Trump at the White House for a press conference to affirm the strength of the special relationship just hours before the executive order was signed, has not condemned the ban. Some of her fellow Tories have been quick to censure her silence (or pseudo-silence: she did say in a statement that she “does not agree” with Trump’s approach).

Meanwhile, a petition demanding the cancellation of Trump’s state visit to Buckingham Palace garnered more than a million signatures, but so far no cancellation.

Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, for his part, was made to defend the government over both Trump’s ban and his impending state visit before Parliament. It went better than some other interviews in which Johnson has participated in his time, but was still, shall we say, fraught.

Johnson said that the U.S. government had clarified for him that the ban did not apply to U.K. dual nationals (originally, the U.S. embassy in London issued a statement reiterating that it did, but Johnson has apparently received assurances to the contrary), which is to say that, according to Johnson, a U.K. citizen who also has citizenship with, for example, Libya would be able to come to the United States.

He also noted that the Queen’s reception of such statesmen as Nicolae Ceausescu or Romania and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe went unhindered, which perhaps says more about the Queen’s next guest than what Johnson intended.

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said that the United Kingdom needs a prime minister “who is prepared to tell him to stop, not one who simply proffers her hand and silently helps him along,” which was probably a reference to this:

Also, Labour MP Dennis Skinner, who lived through World War II, recalled hiding under the stairs from Adolf Hitler’s bombs, and then called Trump a fascist.

Johnson had previously tweeted, “We will protect the rights and freedoms of UK nationals home and abroad. Divisive and wrong to stigmatise because of nationality,” and, while taking questions from members of Parliament, reiterated, “this is not the policy of Her Majesty’s government.”

But that, of course, is not the point. Johnson also reminded Parliament of the “vital importance” of maintaining good working relations with the United States, and that that is more important to May’s government than, say, condemning a nationality-based ban.

And why is the special relationship so very special right now? The United Kingdom needs to maintain good relations in part because it is now uniquely dependent on the United States because of Brexit, for which Boris Johnson himself campaigned. </s> The Queen uses this £550 Dyson fan to keep cool at home at Buckingham Palace

While meeting new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, the Queen revealed how she keeps cool at Buckingham Palace.

This week is an absolute scorcher - with the weather forecast predicting sweltering temperatures of almost 30 degrees.

And while it stands to reason that even Liz has her ways of keeping her cool in the hot weather, we're a little surprised the British monarch doesn't have AC set up in her home at Buckingham Palace.

Instead, it's been revealed that Queen Elizabeth II uses a £550 Dyson fan.

Eagle-eyed Twitter users spotted the floor fan during her meeting with the UK's new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson - the 14th leader to serve under the monarch.

One user wrote: "BREAKING NEWS... Forget the new prime minister, the Queen has a Dyson cool fan."

Another added: "I usually enjoy seeing HM The Queen meeting a new PM. However, I was more admiring her choice of Dyson fan. Probably to help clear the mugginess from the room..."

A third chimed in: "F**king hell the Queen really is rich. She's got a Dyson fan."

Bozza, 55, met with Her Majesty earlier today, after it was announced that the Tory candidate won comfortably against Jeremy Hunt. Boris received a whopping 92,153 votes compared to his rival's 46,656.

As is tradition, the monarch extended an invite to Johnson, asking him to form a new government.

His journey along London's Mall was not without its dramas, as climate change protestors attempted to block the PM's motorcade. They were quickly removed by police, however. </s> Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II looks at a painting of Queen Victoria inspecting wounded Coldstream Guardsmen, 1855, by artist John Gilbert, as part of the exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria, for the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace, London, Wednesday July 17, 2019. Queen Elizabeth toured the exhibition featuring the story of her great-grandmother Queen Victoria. (Victoria Jones/Pool via AP)

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II has seen this production before. Before Wednesday, the monarch has had 13 people form a government for her since becoming queen in 1952. That means Boris Johnson was the 14th prime minister of her reign so far. Here’s a look at the British power handover:

After being applauded by Downing Street staff, Prime Minister Theresa May traveled the mile (1.6 km) to Buckingham Palace to resign and asked the monarch to invite fellow Conservative Johnson to form a new government.

May entered the palace as the nation’s leader but upon departing she was just a lawmaker for her Maidenhead constituency, joining the 649 other lawmakers in the House of Commons.

May is one of Britain’s shortest-serving prime ministers in the last 100 years. Her premiership has lasted a total of 1,106 days — enough to outrun just six of the 22 people to have been prime minister since the start of the last century.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

After her visit to the queen, May did not return to 10 Downing St., a Georgian residence in London with approximately 100 rooms just a few minutes’ walk from Parliament.

Johnson, on the other hand, went to see the queen shortly after May left Buckingham Palace. He then returned to No. 10 as the country’s new prime minister and outlined his vision for the future in a rousing speech Wednesday afternoon that promised to deliver Brexit by Oct 31 with “no ifs, ands or buts.” Resignations and firings of government ministers and top officials then went on for hours.

With the revolving door of government spinning, one key member of the Downing Street team will stay on the job: Larry the Cat.

The 12-year-old tabby is the government’s official Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Larry’s Twitter feed proudly notes that he’s been in office longer than the current leader of any U.K. political party.

Larry’s tenure in office began with former Prime Minister David Cameron, who tired of television crews spotting mice on the doorstep. Cameron and his family picked out Larry at a London animal shelter.

The gleaming black door of No. 10 Downing Street offers the backdrop for Larry’s daily catwalk, but since appearing on the street he has also been photographed in less glamorous poses. He’s also known for catfights with Palmerston, the chief mouser at the nearby Foreign Office.

Some in government just never get along.

For more on AP’s Brexit coverage, https://www.apnews.com/Brexit </s> Boris Johnson has become Prime Minister after a meeting with the Queen in Buckingham Palace.

The Tory leader, whose progress to his meeting with the Queen was briefly disrupted by climate change protesters, was appointed after Theresa May resigned.

READ MORE: Senior SNP figures acting like ‘golf club bores’ over IndyRef2



The new Prime Minister has made clear he will leave the European Union on October 31, with or without a deal, but Mrs May used her farewell statement to say his priority must be a Brexit "that works for the whole United Kingdom".

Minutes after Mrs May left Buckingham Palace to offer her resignation to the Queen, Mr Johnson arrived to be appointed as her successor.

As his car drove along The Mall to the palace, banner-waving climate change protesters from Greenpeace attempted to impede its journey.

Mr Johnson used his first speech as Prime Minister to insist that Brexit will be delivered, and that he will give the country "the leadership it deserves".

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the Tory leader said he would meet the October 31 deadline "no ifs or buts".

Watched by girlfriend Carrie Symonds, Mr Johnson promised he would "change this country for the better".

He said: "I am standing before you today, to tell you the British people, that those critics are wrong - the doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters are going to get it wrong again."

He predicted that "the people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts because we are going to restore trust in our democracy".

He added: "And we are going to fulfil the repeated promises of Parliament to the people and come out of the EU on October 31, no ifs or buts.

"And we will do a new deal, a better deal that will maximise the opportunities of Brexit while allowing us to develop a new and exciting partnership with the rest of Europe based on free trade and mutual support.

"I have every confidence that in 99 days' time we will have cracked it.

"But you know what we aren't going to wait 99 days, because the British people have had enough of waiting.

"The time has come to act, to take decisions, to give strong leadership and to change this country for the better."

He promised action to fix the social care crisis, make the streets safe and improve the NHS.

He said: "I will take personal responsibility for the change I want to see.

"Never mind the backstop, the buck stops here."

READ MORE: PMQs: Theresa May fights back tears at final Commons appearance as PM



But on the issue of the Irish border - the main stumbling block in reaching a Brexit deal - Mr Johnson said he was "convinced" a solution could be found without checks at the Irish border and without the "anti-democratic backstop".

He added: "It is of course vital at the same time that we prepare for the remote possibility that Brussels refuses any further to negotiate and we are forced to come out with no-deal.

"Not because we want that outcome, of course not, but because it is only common sense to prepare."

Mrs May had used her farewell address in Downing Street to urge Mr Johnson to secure a Brexit deal.

She said the "immediate priority" was "to complete our exit from the European Union in a way that works for the whole United Kingdom".
Johnson is asked by the Queen to form a government, making him the 55th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.