Jacinda Ardern resigns as New Zealand’s prime minister

JACINDA ARDERN said tearfully that she had found “time for reflection”. Being prime minister requires you to have “a full tank, plus a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges”, she declared at a meeting of her Labour Party in the city of Napier. After five years as New Zealand’s leader, the tank had run dry. Ms Ardern announced that she would step down as prime minister no later than February 7th, and perhaps as soon as January 22nd. “I am human. Politicians are human,” she explained. “We give all that we can, for as long as we can, and then it’s time.”