British lawmakers gave outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May a standing ovation as they applauded her out of the House of Commons chamber after her final, at times emotional, appearance as leader on Wednesday.
Temperatures continue to soar around the UK as forecasters anticipate what could be the hottest day on record. The Met Office said the highest temperature reached so far on Wednesday was 33.7C at Cavendish in Suffolk.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson sacked most of Britain's cabinet on Wednesday as he took office vowing to get a new divorce deal with the European Union or leave without one by Oct 31. The former London mayor has pledged to break the political deadlock that has left Britain in crisis and forced his predecessor Theresa May to delay Brexit twice.
Boris Johnson has been elected new Conservative leader in a ballot of party members and will become the next UK prime minister. He beat Jeremy Hunt comfortably, winning 92,153 votes to his rival's 46,656. The former London mayor takes over from Theresa May on Wednesday.
Ballots closed in the race to become Britain's next prime minister on Monday, with the favorite Boris Johnson facing more defections by ministers over his Brexit plan. The country's new leader will take the reins this week and have just three months to attempt to resolve a three-year Brexit crisis that could damage economies on both sides of the Channel and determine the fate of generations of Britons.
Expectations of policy easing by major central banks such as the Federal Reserve propped up global stocks on Tuesday, while the pound sagged as Britain braced for a new prime minister who could pave the way for a no-deal exit from the European Union.
British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Sunday that he would resign if Boris Johnson became prime minister because he felt unable to support a leader happy to take the country out of the European Union without a deal.
Prime Minister Theresa May will hold a meeting of Britain's emergencies committee on Monday to discuss Iran's seizure of a UK-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf. In one of her final important acts as prime minister before resigning on Wednesday, May will chair a meeting of Britain's COBR emergencies committee at around 10.30am (0930 GMT), her Downing Street office said.
The Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has condemned recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Sea of Oman at its meeting in London held from 15-19 July.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they had seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking international maritime rules as tensions mount in the highly sensitive waterway.