The spectacular resignation of Boris Johnson from the British Parliament underlines the deep divisions within the Conservative party one year before the general elections and many commentators doubt on Saturday a real political retirement for the former Prime Minister. The 58-year-old ex-leader, driven out of Downing Street by his majority last July, handed over his mandate as an MP on Friday evening.
In a long press release, he invokes the parliamentary inquiry into the “partygate”, the parties held in Downing Street in violation of the restrictions linked to Covid-19. He claims to be the victim of a “witch hunt” and curbs his successor, Rishi Sunak. Boris Johnson was under a parliamentary inquiry to determine whether he lied to Parliament by repeatedly claiming that all health restrictions had been respected during these parties.
A possible return?
The procedure, led by the Privileges Committee, was in the process of finishing its work and had just, according to the British press, submitted its conclusions to the former leader. He therefore seems to have anticipated the suspension he risked being imposed. But despite his resignation, the former leader, as charismatic as he is controversial, will continue to haunt political life, media and commentators estimate on Saturday. He also wrote that he was leaving Parliament, without failing to specify: “at least for the moment”.
Boris Johnson “may have resigned as an MP, but he has made it clear that he does not see this as the end of his political career”, highlights the Times. He has “no intention of remaining silent,” the newspaper said. “Even if Johnson doesn’t have the ability to make a political comeback immediately, that doesn’t make him any less dangerous for his successor.”
“Boris Johnson is unlikely to disappear into obscurity,” analyzes the BBC. “Boris Johnson finds himself exactly where he likes to be: center stage, with viewers wondering what he’s going to do next.” For the BBC, “the ghost of Boris Johnson haunts Rishi Sunak”, but “it’s the last thing the Prime Minister needs”.
High risk elections
Rishi Sunak, who since his arrival at the head of the government in October tries to restore political stability, remained silent after the departure of Boris Johnson. This resignation seriously aggravates the difficulties of the Prime Minister one year before the legislative elections. After 13 years in power, the Conservatives are at their lowest in the polls and at the beginning of May, the “Tories” have already suffered significant losses in local elections.
Boris Johnson’s departure automatically triggers a by-election in his constituency in north-west London, where he had a majority of just a few thousand votes. A few hours before his resignation, one of his closest allies, his former Minister of Culture who was still an MP, Nadine Dorries, also announced his departure with immediate effect. There will therefore be high-risk local elections in two constituencies.
“With a series of defeats, because it is hard to see how he could win one of these by-elections, Sunak’s authority as Prime Minister will evaporate”, judges the Daily Express, which evokes a “war “within the Conservative Party. In his press release, Boris Johnson also violently attacked the government of Rishi Sunak.
“When I left office last year, the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls. That gap has now widened considerably,” he wrote. “Just a few years after winning the largest majority in nearly half a century (his election in 2019, editor’s note), this majority is now clearly threatened,” he criticizes. “Our party urgently needs to regain momentum and faith in what this country can do.”
Opposition Labor has accused Boris Johnson of being a ‘coward’ by stepping down, rather than confronting the Privileges Committee’s decision. “He could have defended himself…and fought the suspension, but he decided not to because he knows he is wrong,” Labor Party Angela Rayner told the BBC.