Boris Johnson resigned yesterday as he had ruled, with a mix of self-righteousness and self-pity, laying blame everywhere except at his own door. In an address outside 10 Downing Street he explained how he was a victim of others’ willingness to follow the “herd”, a disparaging reference to the unthinking sheep of the until-now loyal Conservative Party backbenchers who have taken so long to turn on him.
His previous hidden contempt for the herd can now be spoken. “Them’s the breaks”, he said with a phoney nonchalance, adding that “in politics no-one is remotely indispensable.” Politics is a game, he implied, and he regretted that he had been denied the opportunity to finish “my job, my duty my obligation.” There was the usual recitation of achievements – Brexit, the “fastest” vaccine rollout, the fastest escape from lockdown, leadership of the west on Ukraine.
The truth is that he botched the pandemic response, deepened Britain’s isolation and widened the toxic divisions in his country and his party. He was a profoundly unserious prime minister; by the end of his tenure, he was a laughing stock.
In his remarks Johnson made no acknowledgment of personal responsibility for his own downfall, no mea culpa, no remorse for the lies and evasions, or for his inability to face hard choices. There was no mention of his willingness to ditch rules and treaties, and break one’s word when solemn agreements become inconvenient.
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There was no recognition of how Britain has lost its standing as an honourable partner on the world stage. The contrast with the speech given only a day before in the House of Commons by resigning health minister Sajid Javid was notable. For too long, Javid said, he had given the prime minister the benefit of the doubt, and spoke of what he said was the real meaning of political engagement: “It is central to the Conservative ideal that we believe in decency, in personal responsibility, and in social justice enabled by conventions and the rule of law. The Conservative mission to extend freedom and prosperity and opportunity is all at risk, if we cannot uphold that ideal.”
His words reflect the gulf in the Conservative Party that a new leader will have to bridge to restore any chance of electability. Johnson’s determination to stay on at the helm as a caretaker prime minister – in effect, a lame-duck prime minister – until a new leader is elected will not go unchallenged. The prospect that he could remain in place well into the autumn has outraged MPs across the party and will mean that, far from quieting the turmoil that has engulfed it, Johnson’s gambit will simply plunge the new government into controversy from day one.