The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has resigned from his post amid mounting calls for his resignation.

The Guardian's Political Editor Pippa Crear posted on X today, formerly known as Twitter, a statement from Welby: "It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.

"I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church.

BREAKING: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned.

"As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse. "The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England.

"For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done."

A petition by some members of the General Synod – the church’s parliament –  gathered more than 1,500 signatures urging Justin Welby to stand down over his “failures” to alert authorities about John Smyth QC’s “abhorrent” abuse of children and young men at the barrister's home in Winchester.

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The call was strengthened by a bishop’s public statement saying Mr Welby should quit, describing the church as being “in danger of losing complete credibility” on safeguarding.

The Makin review into Smyth’s abuse, published last week, concluded that he might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop of Canterbury formally reported it to police a decade ago.

Smyth died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Constabulary, and so was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the review said.