WASHINGTON: US House Speaker John Boehner, who has spent years pushing back against a rebellious flank long seeking his ouster, told a closed-door meeting on Friday that he will resign next month, his office and lawmakers said.

The 65-year-old’s departure after 24 years in Congress and four years in the speaker’s chair will spark an intense battle for control of the House as the United States gears up for a presidential election in November 2016. “Speaker Boehner just announced in Conference that he will resign as Speaker and from Congress at the end of October,” House Republican Bill Huizenga said in a stunning tweet.