Key Points
- “In Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful and when it moves, it moves,” mused Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson as he delivered his otherwise upbeat resignation speech outside No 10 Downing Street on Thursday.
- Few know that better than him. He directed the herd when Theresa May was pushed out of office in 2019.
“In Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful and when it moves, it moves,” mused Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson as he delivered his otherwise upbeat resignation speech outside No 10 Downing Street on Thursday.
Few know that better than him. He directed the herd when Theresa May was pushed out of office in 2019.
His later that year gave him an 80-seat majority. But world events and Downing Street dysfunction meant he would achieve little with it.
His was not a long list of achievements, as resigning prime ministers often give, because even his allies would admit, there weren’t that many.
Yes, he ‘got Brexit done’ as promised, signing a withdrawal agreement with the European Union, succeeding where Ms May had failed. But the deal has enormous flaws and Brexit will continue to cause headaches for his successor and probably their successor.
He often spoke of ‘levelling up’ the United Kingdom. But inequality in the United Kingdom is only getting worse.
Boris Johnson's landslide general election victory in 2019 gave him an 80-seat majority. Source: AAP, EPA / Peter Powell
Then there were the self-inflicted wounds that saw Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie fined by police for breaking lockdown laws he’d introduced.
Then there was the Owen Paterson affair, in which the government used huge political capital to save a Conservative MP accused of breaking lobbying rules. The MP went on to resign anyway.
The final straw was the Chris Pincher scandal. Mr Johnson apologised for appointing the Tory MP to an important parliamentary role, despite knowing he had been subject to numerous allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Mr Johnson said he knew "there would be many people who would be relieved” by his resignation. Many of those will be his own MPs. Those who once lined up to get a photo with their charismatic leader to print on election leaflets are now distancing themselves as quickly as possible.
Mr Johnson is a brilliant campaigner who could have achieved so much as prime minister.
Instead, he’ll likely write more books and join the lucrative speaking circuit. He may well enjoy that more than the constant struggle to stay ahead of the Westminster herd.
Ben Lewis is SBS News' chief international correspondent.
