The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has announced his resignation after days of mounting pressure over his failure to take action over one of the Church of England’s most prolific abusers.

Welby was aware of barrister John Smyth’s abuse as early as 2013, but was told at the time that police had already been notified – which later proved not to be the case. Welby said he had “no idea or suspicion” of his crimes, but accepts he had “personally failed to ensure” it was investigated.

It follows last week’s publication of the independent Makin Review, commissioned a year after Smyth’s death, which found the lawyer was able to carry out his “prolific, brutal and horrific” abuse despite his “appalling actions” being identified in the 1980s. As many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa were subjected to “traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks”.

Having previously said he wouldn’t resign, Welby shared a resignation letter on Tuesday, declaring: “It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.”

The King approved Welby’s resignation on Tuesday morning, but it may take some time before Welby finishes his duties, and for a new leader to be chosen.

What happens right now?

Welby said in his resignation letter that he had a duty to honour his “constitutional and church responsibilities”, meaning exact timings of his departure “will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed”.

This means we don’t have an exact timescale of when Welby will officially finish his duties as head cleric of the Church of England and the international Anglican Communion of more than 85 million members.

Under legislation passed by both parliament and the general synod – the church’s legislative body – the archbishop is required to resign at 70 years old.

Welby, 68, will turn 70 in January 2026 and, according to reports, intended to stay in his position until then.

It is possible for an archbishop to retire earlier if they wish, and if the King accepts their request to do so. This was done by Welby’s predecessor, Dr Rowan Williams, who resigned aged 61 to return to academia.

How will Justin Welby’s successor be chosen?

The task of choosing a new Archbishop of Canterbury lies with the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC).

Its members will submit the name of a preferred candidate to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is constitutionally responsible for tendering advice on the appointment to the King.

The commission, established in the 1970s, carries out a review of background material and results of the consultations, discussion of the challenges for the next archbishop, before voting on the recommended candidate and second candidate to put forward to the prime minister.

It has 17 voting members:

• Three representatives elected from the Diocese of Canterbury by their Vacancy in See Committee
• Six members of the general synod
• The Archbishop of York or, if he chooses not to be a member of the CNC, a further bishop to be elected by the House of Bishops
• Another bishop elected by the House of Bishops
• Five representatives of the global Anglican Communion
• The CNC chair – a public figure appointed by the prime minister, who must be a communicant CofE member

In addition, the secretary general of the Anglican Communion, the prime minister’s appointments secretary and the archbishops’ secretary for appointments are non-voting members of the commission.

While the prime minister is represented in the CNC, he has limited influence over the selection process of the commission, which is a body of the church and not the crown.

Previously the commission submitted a preferred candidate and a secondary candidate for the prime minister to choose from, and while there was a convention to respect the church’s first choice, this didn’t always happen. Margaret Thatcher, for example, is believed to have opted for Dr George Carey in 1990 as she didn’t trust John Habgood’s left-wing views.

That changed under Gordon Brown, who in 2007 gave up the premier’s prerogative power to choose the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, a second choice could still be agreed upon if for whatever reason the first candidate wasn’t able to take up post.

Once the King has approved the chosen candidate, and he has indicated a willingness to serve, Number 10 will announce the name of the archbishop-designate.

How long the process of choosing a new archbishop will be remains to be seen, but the church has previously said its average is around nine months.

Who could replace Justin Welby?

Graham Usher, the Bishop of Norwich, and Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford, have both been tipped to succeed Welby and become the 106th person to hold the title.

Usher is in favour of LGBT rights and has supported blessings for same-sex couples. He has also been outspoken on the need to tackle climate change.

Francis-Dehqani was born in Iran and has spoken about how her brother was murdered in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. She would be the first woman to occupy the post.

Martyn Snow, the Bishop of Leicester, who has worked on building bridges between different religious communities, and Michael Beasley, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who has a background in epidemiology and provided health guidance during the pandemic, are also being tipped as potential successors, according to the Telegraph.