THE UK awaits new leadership.
And tonight we ask – what’s next for this zombie government?
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What’s? next for the Conservative Party†
Most importantly, what’s next for the UK?
It’s all up for grabs.
But what is the future? Boris Johnson is now certain: retreat into the political wilderness.
A few years ago he seemed untouchable – the blond knight of Britain; the great man who made Brexit happen.
But in the end he was undone by his own shortcomings—lie after lie, scandal after scandal.
If he hadn’t partied through the lockdown, breaking the… Covid laws he made, and cared for cronies horribly unfit for office, who knows how long he could have served?
In the end, he lasted 27 days less than… Theresa May – the leader without inheritance.
And what will be Boris Johnson’s legacy now?
He was the Covid Prime Minister. And he was disastrously bad at that, other than rolling out the vaccine.
Brexit remains half done, with a band-aid on the Northern Ireland problem that someone else has to solve now.
So for a lot of people it’s cleaning up for Boris tonight.
Many people in this country, in the opposition and in his own conservative party are happy to see him leave.
The Russians say they are happy too – unsurprisingly. Johnson’s most statesmanlike moment came in his early interventions in the war in Ukraine.
But even that chapter of Boris Johnson’s story was embroiled in scandal as “Partygate” erupted around him.
Now his political career is finally over.
And this is when everything collapsed.
It may be the best job in the world, but it’s not Boris Johnson’s job anymore.
And he certainly wasn’t the best at it.
After three chaotic years of disorder and deception in issue 10, it only took two dramatic days of tension and betrayal in Westminster to get hold of Johnson’s political coffin.
As many as 61 members of his government walked out after Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak triggered the avalanche on Monday night.
But it was a moment of Machiavellian mendacity that killed him.
Nadhim Zahawi, appointed chancellor just two days ago, ordered the prime minister to resign — on letterhead he must have just had printed.
Michelle Donelan, Johnson’s new education secretary, also walked out this morning.
And so it became clear that the greased piglet simply had no more fat.
The Prime Minister will continue to crack at number 10 for the time being.
He is gone as Tory leader, but will lead the rest of his government until the Conservative Party elects a new leader. That process can drag on until the fall.
So Johnson is rearranging his cabinet today — offering deck chairs on the Titanic to anyone who wants to sit in it.
But the lame duck is now a dead duck.
And Britain faces the bizarre spectacle of a zombie government and internal elections for the Conservative Party at a time of rising inflation, an energy crisis and a raging war in Europe.
Some MPs are still trying to force him now.
Others are preparing their supporters for the leadership race.
So will Boris blast through until the fall?
History is being made today.