Deputy Australian Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce resigns over sex scandal
Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said Friday he will resign following weeks of controversy after he announced he was expecting a baby with a former staff member.
Posted — UpdatedSpeaking to journalists, he said he was resigning to put aside "this current cacophony of issues."
"(It has been an) incredible privilege, that I'm so humbled by, to have been the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia," he told reporters.
Joyce is the leader of the Australia's National Party, which governs in a coalition agreement with the Liberal Party led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
In early February, Joyce revealed he was living with a former member of his staff who was expecting his child, confirming long-running rumors of a possible affair.
Joyce said he would step down as leader of the National Party on Monday, forcing a vote to select a new deputy prime minister.
His resignation comes as Turnbull is away from the country on a visit to the United States.
Joyce also said that he will carry on as a member of parliament, moving to the back bench.
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