Boris Is Out. The Battle Over His Legacy Continues.
The former prime minister changed British politics, but he left his successor with a pile of problems.
Don’t forget me.
Photographer: CHRIS RADBURN/AFPAs Conservative Party members elevated Liz Truss to be their new leader on Monday, nostalgia for Boris Johnson is palpable — including from Boris Johnson himself. In his final speech from Downing Street Tuesday morning, Johnson took a swipe at those who “changed the rules halfway through” the race, before rolling through his greatest hits as PM, from Brexit to the vaccine rollout.
There’s been speculation that, like his hero Winston Churchill, Johnson may one day return from the wilderness. He didn’t discourage that, comparing himself (because a classical reference is never far with him) to Cincinnatus, the virtuous Roman consul, who returned to his plough, but may also have come back to service.