His career as British prime minister is filled with exaggerations, tall stories, exaggerations, and lies. He has often responded with an apology shrug, or a guilty smile, and then moved on. Many people were willing and able to forgive him.
At least, not yet. The revelations that the prime minister and his staff had been drinking while Britain was under coronavirus restrictions have prompted public outrage. Many in the Conservative Party are now considering dumping their leader.
Johnson was chosen by the Conservatives because of his cheerful image as a rule-breaker, the naughty schoolboy in British politics. This gave him an uncommon ability to connect with voters. Many are now questioning their decision.
Steven Fielding, University of Nottingham professor of political history, said that “his fans would say he is a force of Nature — he doesn’t let anything get in his way.”
Fielding said that he has been caught out sometimes, but he is mostly free. “Now, the truth is becoming more obvious to more and more people.”
Johnson is known for his ability to talk through crises. Johnson, an Oxford-educated politician, has created the image of a jokester with a mop and blond hair who doesn’t take himself too seriously. He is a jokester and a jokester, sometimes in Latin or ancient Greek.
Johnson’s persona made him a favorite guest on “Have I Got News for You”, a TV comedy that ran from the late 1990s to the present. He was also London’s boosterish mayor, between 2008 and 2016.
Johnson was often criticized for being too light to be prime minister. Johnson disagreed. Johnson played jokes about his ambition, saying that he was as likely to become prime minister as “finding Elvis on Mars” and “being reincarnated as an Olive.”
He had dreamed of being a leader for a long time. Rachel Johnson, his sister, said that he had always longed to be a world king as a child. But his path to power was not planned.
He fabricated a quote from King Edward II as a young journalist for The Times of London. This historian was also his godfather. Although he was fired, he continued to be the Brussels correspondent for The Daily Telegraph in the 1990s. He filed exaggerated stories about EU waste and red tape. These “Euromyths”, about condoms that fit all and plans to ban “bendy Bananas”, helped to turn British opinion against the bloc and eventually lead to Johnson being the Brexit champion, who would bring the U.K. back to the EU years later.
Brexit was won in a 2016 referendum campaign. It contained many questionable claims, including the claim that Britain gave 350 million pounds per week to the EU that could be used for the U.K. health service.
Johnson was dealt a shock when Michael Howard, then-Conservative leader, fired him in 2004 after he lied about an extramarital affair. Howard had to apologize to Liverpool a month prior for his accusations of victimhood.
Johnson’s lack of grasp of facts and his history of making glibly offensive remarks have been a long-standing argument against Johnson. Johnson called Papua New Guineans “cannibals”, claimed that Barack Obama was “part Kenyan”, and compared Muslim women wearing face-covering veils with “letter boxes.”
Johnson has always responded by dismissing offensive comments and accusing journalists for rehashing old remarks. Johnson’s long-standing populist strategy of attacking the media and “lefty London lawyers,” is to attack them. Andrew Gimson, his biographer, has described him as the “Merry England PM”, who portrays his opponents in joyless puritans.
Johnson’s allies now worry that the tide may have turned. Johnson apologized in subdued, carefully crafted statements for his actions. Johnson has not admitted any personal wrongdoing but said he believed he was acting within the rules.
Many Britons, however, who remained loyal to the lockdown rules imposed on them by the government, were cut off from their friends and families and unable to visit their relatives in nursing homes or hospitals. Johnson’s “partygate” excuses included his claim that he considered a “bring-your-own booze” party in a garden to be a work event.
Chris Curtis of Opinium Research’s political polling said that public trust in Johnson as prime minister had fallen and Johnson’s personal approval ratings were “pretty dire.”
Curtis stated that while the public has always preferred Boris Johnson to share a pint, they don’t trust him to take care of their children. “But we have seen this happen with the crisis: people now say they would rather not have a pint of Boris Johnson — and people don’t trust him to take care of their children.”
Sue Gray, a senior civil servant, is expected to complete an investigation into the allegations of partying next week. Conservative lawmakers could rescind a no confidence vote if Johnson is not found guilty of violating the rules.
Fielding stated that Johnson’s brand was now irrevocably damaged, even though the crisis is over.
Fielding stated that “it will recede” but that he doesn’t believe it will recede enough to make him a viable leader of the Conservative Party in the next election. “He’s a dead duck.”
