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UPDATE — Thursday, 10:10 a.m. PT: This is a developing story. For the latest, see live updates here.
B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad has announced his resignation but says he will remain on as an MLA.
The decision comes a day after the party’s board announced Rustad had been removed as leader — a move he initially denied.
On Thursday, Rustad told reporters he had talked to his wife and others close to him, who encouraged him to stay on, but he felt to do so would become a civil war in his party.
“I was not prepared to go forward and have that civil war.”
He said he feels disappointed but is still passionate about the party and the province and encouraged the caucus to set aside differences and focus on growth.
Rustad said he doesn’t plan to run again as an MLA but will not step down from that role.
The Conservative Caucus of B.C. announced Wednesday they no longer had confidence in Rustad and had removed him as leader of the Official Opposition.
The move came after months of turmoil in the party, which saw several MLAs resign from or be kicked out of the caucus, and growing calls for Rustad to resign. Things came to a head Wednesday morning when 20 of the caucus’s 39 members signed a letter saying they had “lost confidence” in Rustad’s leadership.
The party’s board of directors claimed Rustad was “professionally incapacitated,” one of only four ways leaders can be removed from office, according to the Conservative Party’s constitution.
The three other ways are by resignation, death or a leadership review vote resulting in less than 50 per cent support of members.
Rustad recently made it through a leadership review with nearly 71 per cent support.
The party’s board said Trevor Halford was selected as interim leader by caucus vote Wednesday, although Rustad claimed Thursday that the party’s constitution states party management will select the next leader, not caucus.