Some British passengers on a British Airways flight from the Dominican Republic to London Gatwick mocked Boris Johnson as he walked to seat 34,000 in economy class. The politician, who resigned as prime minister in the summer after a series of scandals, returned to the UK on Saturday to mount a new candidacy for the top job after his successor, Liz Truss, resigned. But yesterday he announced his withdrawal from the elections.
The sight of Johnson in the tail end of the plane completed the country’s chaos for many. How can the Conservative Party see Bogo as a serious contender for a return to 10 Downing Street? The rest of the world watched the thousandth act of tragicomedy at Westminster with a mixture of shame, gloating, and amazement.
The United Kingdom does not follow the norm of most Western countries. Where the resignation of a prime minister automatically leads to new elections almost everywhere, Britons remain tied to the ruling party. Since the 2016 Brexit referendum, the Conservative Party has moved into fifth place prime minister straight ahead. Four of them were decided by themselves, not by the voter.
