Ten days before his 59th birthday, and on the day his underwhelming Resignation Honours’ list was released for public scrutiny, Mr. Boris Johnson abruptly stepped down as Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, pre-empting the release of an unfavourable report on the Partygate affair from the seven-member Committee of Privileges of the House of Commons, which includes four Conservative MPs. His departure has had the immediate effect of triggering a by-election in his constituency. An obviously angry Mr. Johnson alleged that the Committee had “wilfully chosen to ignore the truth,” likening it to “a kangaroo court”, as he has on numerous occasions before, and accused most Committee members of having “already expressed deeply prejudicial remarks about my guilt before they had even seen the evidence.”
The debate over the Johnson legacy will inevitably continue to be played out in various sections of the media, as well as in public discourse, over the weeks and months to come. Meanwhile, attention will focus on his marginal West London constituency, created in 2010 and held by Mr. Johnson since 2015. Uxbridge and South Ruislip lies within the London Borough of Hillingdon, one of the five peripheral boroughs of London that voted in favour of Brexit in the 2016 referendum. Despite any fallout from the Partygate affair, Mr. Johnson apparently still commands considerable support within his constituency, based on his opposition to a third runway at nearby Heathrow airport, his support for the redevelopment of Hillingdon Hospital, plans for which were approved by the local council on 18 January 2023, and his engagement with other pressing local issues. He also benefits from the support of a small coterie of loyal political allies, several of whom have benefitted from Johnson’s Resignation Honours’ list, who concur with his view that he is indeed the subject of a “witch hunt.”. Although Mr. Johnson has not ruled out a return to politics and has indeed subtly hinted at the possibility himself, it seems certain that his political career will not be resurrected from Uxbridge.
Boris Johnson’s leadership was centred around a carefully crafted persona-that of a convivial, loquacious, optimistic, funny, and superficially likeable person, albeit with some minor flaws of character. Being a divisive personality, he arouses strong emotions among his opponents, who have variously referred to him as a “buffoon”, a “liar”, a “charlatan”, and “amoral”-among other less-than-flattering descriptions. Allegations of cronyism, sleaze, and a whiff of corruption have also been bandied around. Mr. Johnson’s current woes relate to a mass of incriminating evidence in the form of oral and written witness statements, backed up by emails, diary entries, WhatsApp messages, door logs, photographs, and CCTV images that appear to demonstrate violations of COVID-19 rules and guidance at lockdown-defying informal staff gatherings, including leaving dos and “bring-your-own-booze” garden parties in No. 10 Downing Street.
Mr. Johnson leaves behind a mixed legacy. He secured an unassailable 80-seat parliamentary majority for the Conservative Party in 2019, now down to 64, largely on his promise to get “Brexit done”. Unfortunately, in the rush to get things done, sufficient attention was not paid to the finer details of Brexit implementation, leading to a stalemate in Northern Ireland and other unresolved issues. On the other hand, the UK’s swift COVID vaccine rollout, the pandemic furlough scheme, and Mr. Johnson’s support for the Ukrainian cause in the form of diplomatic backing, military support, and acceptance of refugees, have earned him considerable domestic support.
Boris Johnson is best described as “a larger than life” figure. It seems unlikely that he will choose to retire, settle down, write his memoirs, and enjoy family life, even as the birth of his next child draws ever closer. It is likely that he has scores to settle and other unresolved business to take care of. No one can reliably predict what is likely to happen months down the line, as even his resignation on 9 June came as a surprise to politicians and close observers of the political scene. While Mr. Johnson is unlikely to replicate the achievements of his hero, Winston Churchill, he may well emulate his illustrious predecessor by not staying out of the political limelight for too long.
Ashis Banerjee