FIVE years ago this week, British politics was in turmoil following David Cameron's resignation after the country voted for Brexit.

The battle for the Conservative leadership was dramatically transformed after Boris Johnson announced that he would not stand in the race to succeed David Cameron.

The former London mayor’s decision not to join the battle left Home Secretary Theresa May as hot favourite to be the next Prime Minister.

It came after the shock announcement by fellow Brexit campaigner Michael Gove – who had widely been expected to be Mr Johnson’s running mate – that he was putting himself forward for the leadership.

In a dramatic press conference just moments before the deadline for nominations passed, Mr Johnson said that the next Tory leader would have to unify his party and ensure that Britain stood tall in the world.

And he said: “Having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in Parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me.”

Mr Johnson’s withdrawal from the fight came after Justice Secretary Mr Gove – who campaigned alongside Mr Johnson for Leave in the EU referendum – said the former London mayor “cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead”.

For the Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn faced a “hostile” meeting with Labour MPs and peers who told him he must quit for the sake of the party.

Many MPs appeared close to tears after a volatile meeting that former leadership contender Chuka Umunna described as “pretty catastrophic”.

The BBC and The Guardian reported that a vote of no confidence in Mr Corbyn’s leadership would go ahead.

Despite the “overwhelming” criticism from across the parliamentary party, Mr Corbyn’s aides insisted the Labour leader would not be quitting.

Elsewhere, up to 50 people were killed, and scores injured in an attack on Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Atatürk.

Two suspects blew themselves up outside the security checkpoint at the entry to the international terminal, after police opened fire on them, according to a Turkish official. Police fired shots to try to stop the attackers but they detonated their explosives, the official said.

One witness to the explosions says he saw a police officer wrestle a suicide bomber to the ground before the attacker detonated his bomb.

Meanwhile, in Country Durham, various commemorative events were being held to honour those fallen at the Battle of the Somme, to mark its 100th anniversary.

Finally, Kynren, the epic tale of England, opened for the first time, and was expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors to Bishop Auckland over 14 nights.

The £31million project was modelled on Puy du Fou, in France, and was part of philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer’s vision to regenerate Bishop Auckland, which also included ambitious multi-million pound plans at Auckland Castle.