Today, as he gave his goodbye address and prepared to present his resignation to the Queen, Boris Johnson praised his legacy.
The departing PM put on a brave face as he said, “This is it, guys,” while being observed by MPs, advisers, and sympathisers on the steps of No. 10.
He said that he “got Brexit done” and managed the “fastest vaccination deployment” as he and his wife Carrie exited the fabled black door.
Additionally, he made it clear that despite the hardship on the British economy, Britain must continue to defend Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
Mr. Johnson said: “The baton will be passed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race” in a jab at MPs for abruptly removing him. Midway through, the regulations were amended, but it is irrelevant anymore.
In addition, Mr. Johnson made a joke about himself being sent off like a “booster rocket” and praised the employees for putting up with his mischievous dog Dilyn.
I would only provide this administration with the utmost support, he said. It’s time for us to all rally behind Liz Truss because we will overcome this and emerge stronger.
Ministers from the current and previous Cabinets as well as Jacob Rees-Mogg and one of his kids were there.
Due to inclement weather that was anticipated to hamper his trip to meet the Queen in Scotland, Mr. Johnson was compelled to move up the time of his speech.
At 11.20 a.m., he is scheduled to see the 96-year-old king at Balmoral in the Cairngorms. Royal attendants are notoriously punctual.
Liz Truss, who will formally be invited to form a Government as prime minister, will follow Mr. Johnson into the royal house quickly.
Allies predict that the former prime minister would boycott the Conservative Party conference this fall in an effort to maintain a low profile after his resignation as prime minister.
While his followers are still holding out hope that he would make a return, he intends to spend the next few weeks “serving his constituency” and supporting Liz Truss.
He would now be a “private person,” according to a Whitehall source, and would “probably not” attend his party’s annual autumn meeting in Birmingham next month.
According to reports, the departing prime minister will refrain from making prominent political comments but is expected to join the lucrative lecture circuit and publish his memoirs. Will Walden, Mr. Johnson’s communications director when he served as mayor of London, predicted yesterday that he would “go off to earn a lot of money” on LBC radio.
As they were ready to depart Downing Street with their kids, Mr. Johnson’s wife Carrie gave a heartfelt homage to his stint as Prime Minister amid the rumours surrounding his future.
She shared a picture of herself, Mr. Johnson, and their kids Wilfred, 2, and Romy, 9, exiting No. 10 together for the last time on Instagram.
She was carrying Romy while donning a long white dress, and Wilfred, who was clutching his parents’ hands, kicked with his left leg. Mrs. Johnson, 33, posted a brief blog entry about the picture that spoke about how pleased her kids were spending time at No. 10 and Chequers. The family will wait outside No. 10 today to listen to Mr. Johnson’s last remarks.
Additionally, Mr. Walden told ITV that only a “small circle of very, very dedicated Boris acolytes” would support Mr. Johnson staging a comeback, and that it would take a “weird combination of circumstances” for him to do so.
However, Lord Udny-Lister, Mr. Johnson’s former chief of staff at No. 10, said over the weekend that the Conservative MPs would later regret their decision to remove him and that he would be persuaded to compete for leader once again.