British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s political career has been defined by a remarkable ability to overcome scandals and blunders that would destroy almost any other politician. But he could not defy political adversity forever and in the end his resentment and mistakes finally took their toll, culminating in his resignation as leader of the Conservative party. But after weeks of controversy and two landslide Conservative losses in recent by-elections, Mr Johnson has not gone quietly. He resisted the resignation for days and relented only after more than 50 cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries and other senior Conservative MPs quit to protest his leadership. “It is now clearly the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister,” Mr Johnson said on Thursday in a statement outside Downing Street. Addressing the people of Britain, he added: “I want you to know how sorry I am to be leaving the best job in the world. But these are the breaks.” True to his political style, however, he couldn’t resist taking shots at his critics and said he was a victim of herd mentality. “For the last few days I have tried to convince my colleagues that it would be crazy to change governments when we offer so much and when we have such a huge mandate and when in fact we are only a few points behind in the polls. ” he said. “I am sorry that I have not been successful in these arguments, and of course it is painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and works myself.” Boris Johnson has announced that he will resign as Prime Minister of Britain. Now what? Latest updates on its release Boris Johnson to resign as British Prime Minister: Read the full resignation speech Born to British parents in New York, Mr Johnson spent decades as a colorful journalist and error-prone, but highly successful, politician. After a privileged education at Eton College and Oxford University, he joined The Times as a trainee reporter in 1987, only to be sacked for making a suggestion. He entered parliament in 2001 and then served two terms as mayor of London before returning to Westminster in 2015. Along with his history of comments, his dalliances with many women have sparked controversy throughout his years in politics. He was ousted from the Tory frontbench in 2004 after lying about an affair and still faces an investigation into allegations he steered city contracts with a girlfriend while mayor. He has been married three times, but had so many affairs that for years the public wasn’t sure how many children he had fathered (at least seven). In political terms, Mr Johnson will be best remembered for leading Britain out of the European Union. He was initially undecided about Brexit, but eventually became co-leader of the Yes campaign in the 2016 referendum. After voters narrowly approved leaving the EU, Mr Johnson became his party’s Brexit champion and has consistently challenged the approach of Theresa May, who had taken over as leader and prime minister immediately after the referendum. Mr Johnson was behind the movement that led to Mrs May’s resignation in 2019. He won the next leadership contest and called a snap election in December, campaigning on the slogan “Get Brexit done”. He led the Conservatives to a huge majority and reshaped the country’s political landscape by winning seats in areas of England that had never voted Tory. At the time, some pundits said his uncanny campaigning ability meant he could stay in power for a decade. Then the pandemic hit and Mr Johnson’s failings became apparent. It did not take the virus seriously at first, leaving Britain far behind when restrictions were finally necessary. And even though he became seriously ill with COVID-19 and claimed he nearly died, his impatience with lockdowns and other protective measures often prolonged the outbreak. He did orchestrate a successful vaccine launch, but credit for that quickly dissipated amid revelations that Downing Street staff held more than a dozen social gatherings in breach of pandemic regulations. Mr Johnson was fined £50 by police for attending a party, making him the first sitting prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law. There were other scandals. He broke parliamentary rules by trying to get donors to pay for renovations to his Downing Street flat. He apologized for not taking sexual assault allegations against Tory MP Chris Pincher seriously before appointing Mr Pincher as deputy leader. And his Brexit deal with the EU has caused such chaos in Northern Ireland, which has remained effectively bound by the bloc’s rules, that Mr Johnson has threatened to tear up key parts of the deal. What next for Britain’s economy as Boris Johnson steps down? UK Conservatives suddenly realise: Maybe Boris Johnson isn’t so great after all On the world stage, he has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine and holds regular talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He had hoped that his high-profile role in supporting Ukraine would help stave off party rebellion, but apparently it was not enough. Mr Johnson “should have gone earlier and not thrown the party and the country into the chaos of the last 48 hours,” said Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London. “Yes, he will be remembered for getting Brexit done. But he will also be remembered for the ridiculous and at the same time horrific manner of his exit.” Tory MPs had begun to turn against Mr Johnson last month. He won a confidence vote in June, but 40 percent of his caucus voted to resign. Since then, the pressure has been mounting. It finally collapsed this week when several senior ministers – including Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid – resigned and said Mr Johnson had to go. On Thursday, Mr Johnson said he wanted to stay in power until a new leader was chosen. But in a sign of his fall from grace, a growing number of Tory MPs – including many elected in 2019 – have said he must go immediately. Conservative MPs will now choose two leadership candidates and party members will then choose the winner. The whole process is expected to take much of the summer, with a new party leader and prime minister likely by September. There are no clear favourites, although leading contenders include Mr Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Victoria Honeyman, associate professor of politics at the University of Leeds, said many of the frontrunners “have been hugely damaged by their loyalty to Johnson and the longer they stayed loyal, the more damage may have been done”. However, he said, Mr Hunt and other MPs could be seen as actively working against Mr Johnson in recent weeks. “All that being said, party leadership contests are usually unusual,” he said. “And you never know what’s coming around the corner.”
