Boris Johnson

How did Boris Johnson become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? What will his legacy be and what was his role in Brexit? In this article, we will answer these questions through an exploration of the man himself. He is a figure you will no doubt encounter in your political studies of UK prime ministers.

Johnson is possibly best known for his role as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between July 2019 to September 2022. During that period, Johnson served as the leader of the Conservative party, which lies on the centre-right of the political spectrum and is the oldest political party in the United Kingdom.

Boris Johnson’s biography

Fig. 1 Boris Johnson portrait

Alexander Boris Johnson is a British citizen, but he was born in New York in 1964. He was educated at Eton College before moving on to study at Oxford University. After graduating from Oxford, Johnson pursued a career in journalism where he worked for popular British publications such as The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The Spectator. He served as the editor for the latter until 2005.

Though impressive, this early part of his life is arguably the least interesting part of Boris Johnson's biography, so next, we will discuss his political career.

Boris Johnson’s political career

Whilst pursuing his career in journalism, Boris Johnson's political career also began taking off when in 1997, he was selected as the conservative candidate for Member of Parliament of the Clwyd South constituency. He was unsuccessful in this campaign and lost to the Labour Party candidate. However, in 2001 he was selected again as a Conservative party candidate for member of parliament for the Henley-on-Thames constituency, where he won.

Fig. 2 Boris Johnson giving a speech as Mayor of London

At this time Johnson was already a well-known political figure due to his frequent television appearances, his bumbling personality, and numerous public scandals. In 2008, Johnson was elected Mayor of London and stepped down from his role as MP. In 2012, he won a second term as London’s mayor. In 2015, whilst still serving as Mayor of London, Boris Johnson returned to the House of Commons, but this time as the MP of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

How Brexit came about

Though Brexit and Boris Johnson's political career may not seem closely intertwined, in fact how Brexit came about and its aftermath were instrumental in ensuring Johnson's rise to Prime Minister.

During this period, in 2015, David Cameron was serving as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as the Conservative Party leader. In compliance with his campaign promises, and despite the fact that he wanted to remain, Cameron set a referendum to decide whether the UK should leave the European Union. And with it began one of the most politically charged periods in British politics’ recent history.

Johnson was very vocal in his support for the ‘Leave’ campaign. After Cameron’s resignation as a result of the Leave campaigners’ win in the Brexit referendum, the path was clear for Johnson’s ascent to Prime Minister.

However, this did not come to fruition and the leadership went to Theresa May, who became the leader of the conservatives and the prime minister of the UK. May, however, was unable to strike up an adequate Brexit deal with Brussels, which made Johnson’s second attempt at a candidacy successful.

Boris Johnson’s main focus at the beginning of his premiership was Brexit. He had been elected as the leader of the conservative party on the promise he would ‘get Brexit done’. Therefore, his first 100 days as prime minister were watched closely to see how he would handle the Brexit negotiations.

Johnson proposed a no-deal Brexit which would mean that the UK would leave the EU regardless of whether they were able to negotiate a deal with them. However, he didn’t have to resort to a no-deal, as the EU and Johsonon were able to agree on a finalised deal. Johnson was able to successfully finalise a Brexit deal and the UK formally withdrew from the European Union on 31 January 2020.

Key points from the Brexit agreement

While the Brexit agreement is very complex, there were a few key points. These are:

• The establishment and formal ratification of the Brexit agreement first and foremostly brings about the end to a five-year-long period that has been riddled with uncertainty.

• UK nationals lost the freedom to work and live in the EU and will now require a visa if they want to stay in an EU country for more than 90 days. This is also the same for EU nationals wanting to work or live in the UK.

• Despite being a part of the UK, Northern Ireland will continue to follow EU regulations.

• The UK can now freely set its own trade policies and has the ability to negotiate deals with other nations.

• 'Scexit' - As a result of Brexit, there is an increased fear of Scexit, which refers to the possibility of Scotland leaving the UK and rejoining the European Union.

The reception of the Brexit deal was varied amongst the UK public. Some people criticised Johnson and his government for conceding too much, whilst others have praised the results of the agreements. Regardless of whether the agreement was bad or good, Johnson successfully did what he set out to do: deliver Brexit and defeat the leader of the opposition party, Jeremy Corbyn.

Boris Johnson and the Coronavirus Pandemic

Whilst Johnson’s ability to finalise the Brexit agreement will undoubtedly be a part of his legacy as prime minister, this will undoubtedly be overshadowed by his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic that first emerged in Britain in March of 2020. This resulted in an almost war-time relationship between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the British public through a series of regular public addresses regarding lockdown measures.

Johnson’s approach to the coronavirus was initially praised due to his implementation of lockdown measures but has since come under scrutiny. Since March 2020, the British population has gone in and out of lockdowns and Britain has experienced the highest proportion of deaths as a result of the pandemic compared to any other nation.

Not only have the lockdown measures served as a point of contention amongst Brits, but recently, it was revealed that at the height of the pandemic, whilst much of the country was under lockdown restrictions set forth by Boris Johnson, Johnson himself and his party members were breaking these restrictions by attending Christmas parties and various other social gatherings.

These actions and Johnson's failure to provide a sustainable response to the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in growing tides of ‘no-confidence’ within the Conservative Party, which resulted in Johnson's resignation on 7th July 2022. Liz Truss replaced Johnson in the "top job", forming a new government on 6th September 2022.

Boris Johnson Principles

The Nolan Principles of Public Life are a set of 7 principles that apply to all who hold public office in the UK. Those who are in these positions are supposed to uphold these principles These principles are:

1. Selflessness

2. Integrity

3. Objectivity

4. Accountability

5. Openness

6. Honesty

7. Leadership