Waveney MP Peter Aldous has called on the next leader of the Conservative Party to "provide us with a new beginning".

Speaking after the revelation that Boris Johnson will step down as Conservative party leader today (Thursday), it comes after Mr Aldous was among the first Tory politicians to call for Mr Johnson - who became prime minister in July 2019 - to resign.

After the resignations of key cabinet members and numerous junior ministers and aides on Monday and Tuesday, Mr Aldous called for the prime minister to step aside in the "next two to three days".

Today, Mr Aldous admitted recent events had been "unedifying".

More than 50 resignations had left Mr Johnson's leadership facing a major crisis before the prime minister spoke with the 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady on Thursday morning and agreed to stand down.

Ahead of a new Tory leader potentially being in place by the party conference in October, Mr Aldous said: "After yesterday, which was unedifying frankly, the situation has changed very quickly.

"It was a shameful time with the prime minister refusing to leave office.

"We were in a constitutional crisis and government could not go on, so the only way forward was for the prime minister to resign and my understanding is he will be doing that today.

"This is welcomed, but I think it should have happened much earlier.

"It's what should have happened last month when 41 per cent of Conservative MPs indicated they had no confidence in him as leader and prime minister."

So who is Mr Aldous backing to be the next prime minister?

Mr Aldous said: "I do not know if he is staying on as prime minister until the new leader has been appointed and we need to consider the full implications for that.

"I honestly would have expected him to have resigned and for the deputy prime minister to act as interim prime minister.

"It appears that is not happening.

"As to who the next leader should be, or who I am supporting, I have not made any decisions at the moment."

He added: "This has been a shameful episode in the history of the Conservative Party.

"I think we need someone who can provide us with a new beginning in very challenging circumstances."