Boris Johnson became angry as he lost power because he thought the British establishment wanted to get rid of him because of Brexit. According to two of his closest aides and other people close to him, the soon-to-be-ex-prime minister thought that the months of stories about breaking the law in Downing Street were unfair and made up by a media that didn’t like his role in getting Britain to leave the EU.
Johnson, who was known for being flamboyant on the outside but shy on the inside, went back to his home and office on Downing Street, unable or unwilling to win back the support of MPs.
These MPs were sick of having to defend their leader in their voting districts. Politicians say that it’s hard to defend or explain a long line of scandals when the public is angry. This was especially true for Conservatives who won in places where they were not the majority.
Many people voted for Johnson to lead the UK out of the EU, but now they have a prime minister they can’t trust. Instead of making people feel better, Johnson became even more alone, surrounded by a few advisors who didn’t do much to show him that he was being punished for Brexit. Johnson thought that he was at his best when he was put in a tight spot and could fight to keep his hard-won job of running the country.
Even though he was made fun of in parliament, where Conservative Party lawmakers told him to resign to his face and others laughed at him, Johnson finally quit after ministers and colleagues begged him. Two days before Johnson quit, his finance minister sent a letter that summed up how many people felt when Johnson first said he wouldn’t give up. In an open letter on Thursday, Nadhim Zahawi said that he and his colleagues at No. 10 told the PM yesterday that he should step down with honour. “You know what’s right, Prime Minister; leave now.”
PROMISE
When Johnson was elected in 2019, everything changed. Johnson got elected in 2019 by claiming to be the man of the people who could get Brexit done. He is known for his ambition, his messy blonde hair, his flowery speech, and his basic knowledge of policy details. He oversaw Britain’s exit from the EU and promised a radical new plan to cut red tape, encourage investment, and “even out” big differences between different parts of the country.
It was a populist plan to change how Britain had been run for decades, and his team was determined to get it done quickly even though the civil service and the Conservative Party were against it. Federal officials say that he made enemies early on by going against the system and breaking the rules.
In December 2019, a new coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, overshadowed Johnson’s plans for Brexit in his first few months as prime minister. His response to the virus set the tone. Johnson played down the illness until it was predicted that 250,000 people would die in the UK. He told the British to stay at home.
When he got sick and almost died, people began to feel sorry for him. His reputation was hurt by questionable contracts and by the fact that he defended Dominic Cummings, who broke lockdown rules, in court. The government could talk about how quickly vaccines were given out and how popular the furlough programme was. While the rest of the country was under strict lockdowns, people who worked in Downing Street were drinking and having fun. When the people found out that the people who made the rules were breaking them, and that many of them had missed funerals and family reunions, they were very angry. Johnson was fined for having a party for his 2020 birthday.
At the time, a Conservative MP said, “I’ve had enough, because it’s too scary.” Some scandals are bad, too. In 2021, Johnson defended a Conservative politician who was being accused of breaking lobbying laws, but then he changed his mind. A penalty was given to the Conservatives because they didn’t report a donation that was used to put gold wallpaper in Johnson’s apartment.
Johnson quit this week after Christopher Pincher said that he made people feel uncomfortable after a night of drinking. Four months ago, Johnson promoted Pincher, even though she had been accused of sexual harassment. The people who work for Johnson said Pincher had no specific complaints. A person in charge said this was not true. Johnson blamed forgetfulness.
Johnson fought all the way to the end. This year, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Putin acted like a wartime leader and said that controversies were just a waste of time. He was one of the first people from the West to meet with the president of Ukraine. When Johnson’s ministers of finance and health quit on July 5, a former aide said, “He’ll keep fighting.”
Johnson said last month in Rwanda that he planned to stay in office until the middle of the next decade. This would make him the longest-serving leader of the country in the last 200 years. At the British High Commissioner’s house above Kigali, Johnson sat cross-legged on a blue sofa under a chandelier and said that he wanted a third term to change Britain’s legal and immigration systems. As a child, he wanted to be “global monarch,” so becoming prime minister has been a lifelong goal.
His friends warned for years not to forget how violent Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson could be. Opponents said he wouldn’t be a good fit for the job and wouldn’t pay attention to details once he stopped acting and jokes stopped being funny. Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said, “A house of lies and deceit falls.” “Get moving. You have shamed our country for a long time.”
