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Andrew Wilkinson has announced he will step down as leader of the B.C. Liberal Party effective immediately.

Wilkinson had said he would stay on until a permanent leader is selected, which could take months, but now says he’s stepping aside for an interim leader.

“It is now time for me to leave the role of Opposition Leader, as the voters of British Columbia have made their preference clear,” he said in a Facebook post Saturday.

“In doing so, I welcome the selection of an interim leader from our caucus and will fully support her or him as our caucus prepares to act as the Official Opposition once again.”

During the campaign, Wilkinson came under fire for bullying and sexism, as well as for controversy surrounding anti-LGBT candidates. He faced criticism when a video emerged that showed him laughing at misogynistic comments about an NDP opponent.

Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite criticized Wilkinson for throwing her under the bus in an editorial after she made the sexist comments about an NDP MLA, calling it “a double standard between the treatment of men and women.”

There was a caucus meeting planned for Nov. 25, where he was going to face a showdown with MLAs on staying on as leader.

Wilkinson announced he would resign on Oct. 26. He spoke briefly at a news conference, where he answered no questions, saying he would step down “as soon as the new leader is selected.” He has not spoken publicly since.

The B.C. Liberals suffered a major blow in the 2020 election. The party lost 14 ridings and were mostly swept out of Metro Vancouver by the NDP.

The Liberals now sit at 29 seats, down from the 43 won in 2017 and the 49 in 2013.

The party is now reduced mainly to rural ridings in the Fraser Valley, interior and north. However, even in these ridings the party lost seats, with the NDP winning both Langley ridings, and both Chilliwack ridings.

In his Facebook post Saturday, Wilkinson said the party has a lot of work to do to”rebuild and renew” which he says will start with tough conversations and sincere reflections.

“There are still many conversations to have about how we can do better. Some of those conversations are taking place right now, some of them publicly. I can confidently say that I did my best for our team and for British Columbia, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve our province and all of the people who consider this great place their home.”

Carlie Pochynok, a spokesperson for the B.C. Liberal Caucus, said they are trying to figure out a date to choose the interim leader.

— With a file from Rob Shaw