After a successful bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party, Boris Johnson is to become the new UK Prime Minister. However, before he officially swears into the position, the cabinet has seen a number of resignations.

As of 7 am July 24 (Beijing time), three ministers have confirmed their resignations and several others were expected to follow suit.

(Boris Johnson. Photo: CNN)

As “The Independent” reports, Anne Milton, an education minister, hasresignedher post ahead ofBoris Johnsontaking over as PrimeMinisterand Conservative party leader. In a letter to Teresa May, Anne said that she had “grave concerns” over Mr. Johnson’s threats of a no-deal Brexit.

According to “The Times”, David Gauke also resigned as Justice Secretary. Gauke has served in Theresa May’s cabinet since she took office in 2016. He said he would not be able to serve under Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary. Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan also resigned ahead of Boris Johnson’s expected Tory leadership win.

Apart from the shift in the cabinet, Boris is faced with a series of challenges. Diplomatically, he has yet to solve Iran’s recent seizure of a tanker flying the British flag, which has raised much attention among the international community. Additionally, on July 23, 231 PMs signed a letter to the new PM to secure the safe release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from Iran, whose continued imprisonment is due in no small part to one of Boris Johnson’s “gaffes” as foreign secretary, when he incorrectly stated that she had been teaching in Iran, while a key part of her defense was that she had been on holiday.

As AFP points out, Boris Johnson not only shoulders the responsibility of finding a solution to the Brexit deadlock, but also faces daunting international challenges like the Iran nuclear deal.