Exit Johnson

Even senior leaders of the Conservative Party claimed Johnson 'doesn’t have the support of the Party, or the country'

Boris Johnson has quit as British Prime Minister as well as Tory party chief. Abandoned by almost 50 ministers and close aides after his latest scandal became publically known, Johnson finally bowed to the inevitable on Thursday having served Prime Minister for a little less than three years. Those having distanced themselves from Johnson included Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid – close allies who had backed their leader for years and stood by him through much of his scandal-plagued time in office.

However, the latest scandal, involving Johnson’s ally and now-former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher was a bridge too far. Johnson initially defended Pincher when he was accused of sexual misconduct at a social gathering, but it was later revealed that Pincher had been accused of living up to his name on several occasions in the past, some predating his top government appointments, and that the prime minister and several cabinet members had full knowledge of these incidents and had ignored them.

Earlier, just weeks after he defeated a no-confidence vote within his own party, Johnson himself was accused of abuse of office to favour his now-wife while he was foreign secretary, and has been fighting off accusations of allowing, if not hosting, illegal parties in 10 Downing Street during the strictest days of Covid-19 lockdowns. Meanwhile, he has long been dogged by allegations of exchanging cash for honours — the British equivalent of how Senate seats are bought in Pakistan. At least one person granted honours, even against the protests of British intelligence, is the son of a Russian oligarch.

By midweek, as Johnson left Prime Minister’s Question Time, dozens of MPs were waving goodbye.

A backbench revolt was in progress, with one writing that the “government is not working” and its policymaking “is a mirage”, while even senior leaders such as Bim Afolami, the Conservative Party’s vice-chair, claiming that Johnson “doesn’t have the support of the Party, or indeed of the country, anymore”.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2022.

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