Former Australian PM Turnbull resigns from parliament

Australia’s former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull resigned from parliament on Friday, Reuters reports, in a move that strips the government of its one-seat majority.

Turnbull last week said he would resign from parliament after he was ousted from office in a bitter party-room contest. It ushered in the country’s sixth leader in the last decade. 

“The speaker of the house of parliament received a resignation letter from Malcolm Turnbull this afternoon,” said a source familiar with the matter. Until a by-election can be contested, new Prime Minister Scott Morrison is left relying on the support of independent lawmakers to pass legislation just eight months out from an election.