Unlike Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair or Theresa May, who were also removed from their parties rather than the electorate, Boris Johnson could not walk away with his head held high. He has not been forced out because of political disputes or overstaying his welcome. Johnson is leaving in disgrace because of flaws in his personality and behaviour, as dozens of ministers complained in their resignation letters. In the words of Brandon Lewis, the first nail in his political coffin on the final day: “A decent and responsible government is based on honesty, integrity and mutual respect. It is a matter of deep personal regret for me that I must leave government as I no longer believe these values are upheld.” It wasn’t a clean break either. Johnson’s era is not over. He fought calls to resign beyond the point of decency respected by his predecessors. At last, prevented by the mass of his ministers and deputies, who turned away from him, he has not yet left the scene. Attaches messily as a caregiver. To many such extended phases seem inappropriate. He leaves in shame and not with a gold watch, pats on the back and a “Sorry for leaving cards” quiver. No sign of going quietly He could still be forced to go early and hand in a real standoff, likely to Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab who has ruled himself out of the top job. If he does not go quietly in the coming days – and there is no sign that he will – Tory MPs are already speeding up the election process so he can stay on for as long as possible. He told his new cabinet that he would not make any big decisions during the interim, but his party is well aware of how little his word is worth. Image: Mrs Thatcher addresses the media outside Number 10 after her resignation Thatcher and Blair immediately left when their time was up. That was the way the Tories did things back then. The MPs chose the leader themselves without a democratic vote of the members. Labor created a one-horse race for Gordon Brown. Both bowed to the mood against them while still looking in their splendor. Thatcher went despite winning the first round of her leadership challenge, the 1989 version of the confidence vote. Blair resigned after a number of junior Brownist ministers resigned, small compared to the 60 protest resignations Johnson tried to defy. Six months after winning her confidence vote, May resigned when it became clear she could no longer pass legislation through parliament. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 14:12 resignations over the years I was watching these departures as they happened. Although I insist strictly on the impartiality of my broadcaster, I admit that I was moved and felt some sympathy for each of the protagonists. They had risen high and tried so hard to serve their country and now they were being thrown away. The atmosphere was charged perhaps because the spectacle was so final. May gave up on ‘the honor of my life’, sobbing at the Downing Street lectern. Thatcher’s farewell outside Number 10 was a short 143 words short of just a big thank you. Her teary eyes as her Daimler sped away for the last time is one of the iconic photos of her premiership. Read more: Who are the frontrunners to be the next prime minister? Blair left Downing Street farewells to his wife’s cheeky “Goodbye, I don’t think we’ll miss you” to the assembled media. For his emissary he chose reflection and humor in Trimdon Labor Club and Parliament. Opting to deliver his final words as prime minister to MPs, he won applause and cheers from across the room after admitting he was never “a House of Commons man”. No apology offered Johnson’s departure was devoid of emotion – both for him and for the viewers. The small crowd of supporters and dependents rushed to applaud him, holding back their cheers and tears. Reporters had to be told afterwards that there was some crying behind the front door. Follow The Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Johnson’s speech did not reflect and he did not apologize for his behavior. There was no mention of the “three Ps” – Owen Paterson, Partygate and Chris Pincher – that has accelerated his decline over the past 12 months. As President, he continued to talk about the “mandate” he believed he had personally won in 2019 in the UK’s Parliamentary Constituency Electoral System. Remarkable durability He described his colleagues’ decision to “change government” as “eccentric” and blamed a strong “herd instinct” in Westminster. He thanked the staff at his Checkers country house before those who work for him in Downing Street. Johnson balanced “how sorry I am to leave the best job in the world” with the useless colloquialism “it’s the breaks.” The full text of Boris Johnson’s resignation speech Back at Number 10 he posed for one of his official taxpayer-funded photographers with his wife and two youngest children, for an amorous photo that duly appeared on the front page of many of the following day’s papers. His remarkable resilience gave no indication that he had been punished for being kicked out. Even though it was a resignation speech, he never used the word “resignation.” He hasn’t resigned yet. In the final hours before his public concession speech, he appointed a new cabinet to lead him through the transition period, deliberately excluding those with government experience who had resigned to force him out. Read more from Adam Boulton: No turning back: The abortion gap between the UK and the US The ties that bind the UK are under strain He intends to remain as an MP For now, Boris Johnson has outrun the parliamentary party that wants to get rid of him. That is likely to last no more than a few weeks until September 5, when parliament returns from summer recess and the Conservative Party is set to announce a new leader. After he was replaced as prime minister, his aides said he plans to remain an MP, like May. It may just be stalled until the next General Election. Current polls suggest Uxbridge would be another Tory defeat by election, unlike Shropshire, Tiverton and Wakefield if contested now. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:49pm Blames ‘herd instinct’ as he quits Unlike Thatcher or Blair, he has not given the impression that he knows this is really “the end,” as Blair said of his active political career. Johnson has gone on to great things from disaster so many times before, he’s still not flat out admitting that this time is over. Survival was always more important to him than honesty, integrity and mutual respect. This is his biggest difference from those recent prime ministerial predecessors who were also dismissed from their parties. Adam Boulton writes a column every Friday for Sky News.
