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Discredited, criticized and in the midst of scandals, Boris Johnson leaves the post of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The premier, who clung to power and refused to resign, was “pushed” into the abyss by his own political formation, the conservative party the ‘tories’, as they are known in the United Kingdom. What comes after the departure of Boris Johnson? We analyze it in this edition of El Debate.
He came to power triumphantly in mid-2019 after a landslide victory. Boris Johnson succeeded Theresa May as British Prime Minister. Her rakish air showed him to be an unlikely politician for Downing Street.
Given the current situation in the United Kingdom and his desire to withdraw from the European Union as soon as possible, the situation suggested that his character as a rebellious politician was what the British needed when leaving the European bloc. Once that materialized, the United Kingdom faced the difficulties of not having the backing of Brussels, and that is where the rebellion had to be put aside and give way to leadership.
Boris Johnson resigned from the leadership of his party, but has said that until the party chooses a successor, he will continue as prime minister.
2021, the beginning of the end
The first criticisms against him came in April 2021 due to the management of the pandemic: he opted for herd immunity, but the number of infected and deceased grew dramatically and he was forced to take measures a little late. He even went through an ICU to be treated for Covid-19.
In December 2021, the ‘Partygate’ breaks out, when information and data about parties held in Downing Street are released, while the United Kingdom was confined, this fact is considered the point of no return.
By May 2022, the discontent of the British was seen at the polls. His formation faced a significant drop in local elections and his popularity was seriously affected. This led to a month later, in June 2022, surviving a vote of no confidence by Conservative MPs over ‘Partygate’. At this point, 40% of the deputies indicated that they did not trust the premier.
In July 2022 another scandal began, when members of his cabinet are involved in a sexual scandal. Johnson’s lack of reaction and belated explanations caused a wave of resignations -50 in total- from members of his cabinet and also caused enormous pressure from his conservative caucus that led him to resign from the leadership of the party and, therefore, to the office of the prime minister.
His departure leaves several very important issues on the agenda: the difficult relationship between London and Brussels; Scotland’s desire for independence; UK military support in the Ukraine war, where Boris Johnson is extremely popular.
What is next for the United Kingdom in its construction as a lonely country, without the support of the European Union? What’s next for Boris Johnson? How is the UK leaving the Johnson era? We analyze it in our program from the hand of our guests:
– Paulina Astroza, director of the European Studies program at the Universidad de Concepción in Chile.
– Javiera Arce-Riffo, political scientist, doctoral student at the Institute of the Americas, University College London.
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