Mr. Johnson resisted stepping down for days, only relenting after more than 50 cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries and other Conservative MPs in senior positions quit to protest his leadership
political career has been defined by a remarkable ability to overcome scandals and blunders that would ruin almost any other politician. But he couldn’t defy the political odds forever, and in the end his bluster and missteps finally took their toll, culminating in his resignation as Conservative party leader.
True to his political style, though, he couldn’t resist taking a shot at his detractors and said he was a victim of herd mentality. “In the last few days I have tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we are delivering so much and when we have such a vast mandate and when we are actually only a handful of points behind in the polls,” he said.
In political terms, Mr. Johnson will be best remembered for leading Britain out of the European Union. He was undecided about Brexit at first but eventually became co-leader of the “Yes” campaign during the 2016 referendum. After voters narrowly approved leaving the EU, Mr. Johnson became his party’s Brexit champion and constantly challenged the approach of Theresa May, who had taken over as leader and prime minister immediately after the referendum.
He did orchestrate a successful vaccine rollout, but credit for that quickly dissipated amid revelations that Downing Street staff held more than a dozen social gatherings in violation of pandemic regulations. Mr. Johnson was fined £50 by police for attending one party, making him the first sitting prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law.
Tory MPs had begun to turn on Mr. Johnson last month. He won a confidence vote in June, but 40 per cent of his caucus voted for him to resign.
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