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| New Zealand Prime Minister John Key resigns | New Zealand Prime Minister John Key resigns |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| John Key has announced that he will resign as prime minister of New Zealand, after eight years in the job. | |
| Mr Key called it "the hardest decision I've ever made," adding "I don't know what I'll do next." | |
| Bill English is expected to take over until the National Party holds a caucus to choose a new PM. | |
| Mr Key is stepping down at the request of his wife Bronagh, the New Zealand Herald reports. | |
| He won a third term for the National Party at elections in September 2014. | |
| Mr Key made the announcement during his weekly press conference and cited family reasons for the surprise decision. He set a date of 12 December for the formal resignation. | |
| He said the job required great sacrifices "from those who are dearest to me". He said his children had coped with "an extraordinary level of intrusion". | |
| "All I can say is that I gave it everything I had. I have left nothing in the tank." |