UPDATED: Findlay resigns as leader of BC Conservatives — will still run in byelection

Kerry-Lynne Findlay has resigned as leader of the BC Conservatives.

She will still be running for the party in the Abbotsford-Mission byelection, which is scheduled for September 26.

"Being chosen by Conservative members to lead this Party was one of the great honours of my public life," Findlay wrote in a statement. "I had hoped to spend these first months travelling our province, listening to British Columbians, earning their trust, and making the case for what a strong, united Conservative movement could accomplish.Instead, from the outset, too much of our time and attention has been consumed by internal conflict."

She lamented the fact that, "energy that should have been directed toward challenging the NDP, advancing our principles, and preparing to form government has instead been spent fighting amongst ourselves."

"The voice of our members matters," Findlay continued. "Our members are not simply names on a membership list. They are the people who volunteer their time, donate their money, knock on doors, put up signs, and build this movement community by community. When those members participate in a democratic process and make a decision, that decision deserves to be respected - whether we personally agree with it or not."

She made it clear that while "no political party can ask its members for their time, their money, and their trust and then decide their voices only matter when they produce the outcome some people want," leadership also "requires accountability."

"I have made decisions I would make differently with the benefit of hindsight," Findlay admitted. "I have listened. I have reflected. And I take responsibility for the decisions that were mine to make ... There comes a moment when leadership requires you to consider not simply whether you can continue a fight, but whether continuing that fight serves the people and the cause you entered public life to serve. I have reached that moment."

WATCH: Findlay ‘not going anywhere,’ maintains party can restore reputation before snap election

Nine MLAs have left caucus in the past month.

Sitka MediaJarryd Jäger

Throughout the past week, Findlay was adamant that she was "not going anywhere" amid an internal push for her to resign.

Over the following 72 hours, it was revealed that a "senior party official" allegedly hired a private investigator to spy on current and former MLAs — among others, three Findlay-critical MLAs (John Rustad, Claire Rattée, and Trevor Halford) were given the boot, and Linda Hepner left the party of her own accord.

More to come...