Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday amid a series of scandals and the departure of more than 50 members of his cabinet following news that he had appointed an MP to a senior party post despite being aware of allegations of misconduct. Johnson resigned as leader of the Conservative Party but said he would remain prime minister until a successor was chosen. James Normington, 42, a financial adviser from Leeds, said it would be a relief to see Johnson go. She said the man always seemed like a joke and it was hard to take him seriously. Normington met his wife, Caitlin, who was born and raised in Leominster, while doing a year abroad at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. They are raising two children in Westford. “As my wife says, ‘This man doesn’t even own a hairbrush,’” he said. “It’s kind of hard to imagine him on the world stage when you see his hair falling around.” Although Johnson is now one of the UK’s shortest-serving prime ministers, having served in the role for around three years, Normington said the scandals and scandals on social media made his tenure seem much longer . One of the most unacceptable scandals for Britons was “partygate”, reports of government officials breaking lockdown rules to attend rallies in Downing Street and other government buildings. Johnson himself was fined for attending a birthday celebration for himself in July at 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence and office. Lesley Peters, 60, who is from Manchester in the north of England and now lives in Wakefield, was unable to see her sister before she died of COVID-19 in early 2020. Peters was unable to travel due to the lockdown and her family in the area was not allowed to be with her sister in the hospital. “My sister died alone and a lot of families like mine couldn’t attend funerals or be at her bedside,” she said. “He only cares about himself and couldn’t even apologize or admit his failures.” Thomas Marsh, a 37-year-old from Exeter who lives in Cambridge, said he found the Prime Minister’s behavior disappointing. He’s felt less connected to the news coming out of the UK since he moved to the US eight years ago, he said, but he keeps a close eye on the latest developments, listening to friends and family back home about how they’re feeling. “I couldn’t go home and see my parents for 18 months. I have many friends and family back home who have not been able to see relatives in nursing homes and hospitals,” he said. “But Johnson was still partying.” Expatriates interviewed for this story all said Johnson’s ability to avoid scandal, his willingness to break with political tradition and his disdain for the truth make it easy to draw parallels between him and former President Donald Trump. They stated that they hoped for positive changes in the UK, although they acknowledged that it may have to wait until the next general election. In the meantime, the Conservative Party will choose a direct successor to Johnson. Tom Fisher, 34, human resources professional who grew up in Chesterfield, a working-class Labor stronghold, said he was delighted to see members of Johnson’s government resign. “I would hope that all politicians would be willing to do that, even if it goes against the party line,” he said, adding that he felt there was politicians in the Trump administration who disagreed with the president but were unwilling to move. Fisher now lives in Somerville, having moved to the US eight years ago to pursue a romantic interest. The relationship didn’t work out, but Fischer stayed. “I like it here,” he said. He said he thought American politics was very divisive, but after Brexit, he realized UK politics could get just as bad. Kate Selig can be reached at [email protected]
