At the end of a speech discussing the future of Britain now that the country has voted to leave the European Union, waiting media expected prominent 'Leave' campaigner Boris Johnson to officially announce he was running to replace resigning Prime Minister David Cameron.
Boris Johnson did the exact opposite.
"I must tell you, my friends, you who have waited faithfully for the punchline of this speech, that having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me," the former London Mayor said.
"That person cannot be me," @BorisJohnson rules himself out of #Toryleadership race https://t.co/K6pbNn362q https://t.co/fhkLY57nmh — BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) June 30, 2016
The charismatic Leave campaigner was presumed to be the unofficial front-runner almost immediately after David Cameron announced he would be resigning.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Boris' announcement came as a surprise to many - including Sam Coates, Deputy Political Editor at The Times, whose reaction coming out of the press conference was captured live on the BBC.
The announcement came after former ally and presumed supporter, Justice Secretary Michael Gove, said he would be running for the top job himself - an apparently fatal blow to Johnson's chances.
The British Press has always had fun with the outspoken, wild haired politician, and this latest development has only provided more front page fodder.
The announcement, the latest in series of shockwaves sparked by the surprise pro-Brexit vote, quickly generated a lot of fallout on social media.
By far, the most popular has been Scottish Actor Ewan McGregor's expletive filled response, which has been re-tweeted 48,000 times.
