LONDON – Boris Johnson took one of his last walks from Number 10 Downing Street this week. After more government officials called for him to step down, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has resigned as leader of the Conservative party, which will lead to him stepping down as Prime Minister. By the end, the flamboyant leader blamed a political feeding frenzy for his downfall. “The herd instinct is strong,” he observed. “In politics, no one is absolutely necessary.” In reality, however, most analysts said the main reason for Johnson’s downfall was a loss of confidence after a series of scandals, including perceived misbehavior during the COVID-19 restrictions and more recently, promoting a lawmaker accused of sexual harassment. Johnson again said on Friday that he would remain as “interim” or “caretaker” prime minister until his party chooses a successor. This is not expected to happen until early September. BORIS JOHNSON’S FORMER ADVISER SAYS PRIME MINISTER ‘WAKEN UP’ AND ‘FORGOTTEN HE’S A CONSERVATIVE’ One of those not happy about it: opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer. “He’s got to go completely,” Starmer said. “None of this hanging around for a few months nonsense.” Who will replace Boris Johnson? There are no clear frontrunners. The first big player to throw his hat into the ring is former finance minister Rishi Sunak. Others expected to follow are Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a speech at Lydd Airport on April 14. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool) But it is believed that none, for better or for worse, will be as colorful as the man they have dubbed ‘Bojo’. His boosters said it was good that Johnson took Britain out of the European Union. Many critics weren’t so sure. Most said, however, that his support for the UK’s COVID-19 vaccine work was an achievement – ​​as was his defense of Ukraine in its war against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was saddened by Johnson’s departure. The Kremlin said it was a “just reward”. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street in London on Thursday. (REUTERS/Peter Nicholls) BORIS JOHNSON’S SCANDALS: UK PRIME MINISTER FACED MULTIPLE DISPUTES IN OFFICE Former President Trump was a fan of the outspoken Boris Johnson. The outgoing prime minister has even been called “Britain’s Trump”. President Biden was less favorable, but in a statement he said, in part, “I look forward to continuing our close partnership with the UK government.” Eventually, it was the British public who lost patience with the scandal-mongering politician and turned against him as well. “He should have been gone a long time ago,” was a comment echoed across the UK Johnson, finally, after about three years on the job, said he understood. “I want you to know how sad I am to leave the best job in the world,” he said, “but ‘this is the holidays.’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP That last sentence, by the way, had British newspapers scrambling for translation. Just for the record, it’s American slang for “that’s the way things go.”
Many British observers are clearly hoping for a successor a little more reserved – and closer to home. Greg Palcott currently serves as senior foreign affairs correspondent for Fox News Channel (FNC) based in London. He joined the network in 1998 as a correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @GregPalkot.