Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
Thursday, in a long-anticipated move, the teetering Boris Johnson finally announced his run atop the British government would come to an end.
After months of scandal, the loss of parliamentary seats, and a recent exodus of five cabinet members and 55 more members of his government, Johnson announced to the world that the time for change had come.
“It is now clearly the will of the parliamentary conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new Prime Minister,” Johnson said during a brief speech, which was also streamed on YouTube. He added, “the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.”
In the meantime, Johnson has appointed new cabinet members to replace those he’s lost. He’d originally begun appointing replacements earlier in the week when he still held some faint hope of retaining power.
“I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019 – many of them voting Conservative for the first time,” Johnson said. “Thank you for that incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979. And the reason I have fought so hard for the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019.”
Importantly, Johnson did not set a definitive end date for his tenure.
Even absent the scandals, which include allegations that Johnson’s government held massive alcohol-fueled parties when the nation was on lockdown during the height of COVID restrictions, Johnson’s support among the British working class and conservatives has wavered.
Critics on the British right accuse Johnson of doing little more than paying lip service to the mandates on which he was elected.
Johnson came into power in 2019 on the idea that he would get a favorable deal done as Britain exited the European Union. However, while the exit took place, many on the right felt the terms of the exit were not favorable to the U.K.
Most notable, the Conservative government has allowed record numbers of migrants into the country, when the mandate to which Johnson referred, and indeed Brexit in general, was predicated on the idea of heavily restricting migrant access to the United Kingdom.
Using the tried and true law of supply and demand, British conservatives and a strained English working class reasoned that fewer low-wage workers would benefit the employees in Britain as employers would be forced to increase wages to attract workers.
The death knell for Johnson, though, was his handling of the resignation of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who was accused last month of groping two men at a party.
Pincher resigned in late June, but more allegations have emerged in recent days. These, coupled with the fact that Pincher had been forced to resign from another parliamentary position in 2017, again over allegations of sexual misconduct, caused the Conservative exodus and no small amount of questions about Johnson’s ability to choose his lieutenants wisely.
Nigel Farage, the political candidate turned British commentator, said on Twitter that the Johnson resignation might not even prove enough to stem the negative Conservative tide.
“Whilst the PM said he was sad in his speech, he actually looked relieved,” Farage wrote. “As for him staying until a new leader is chosen […] We will see. I anticipate more Tory conflict.”
In a different tweet, Farage said, “The big question now is does Boris Johnson leave No. 10 today or try to cling on as PM for a few more months? If he tries to stay, the Tory civil war will continue…”