Will Brexit claim yet another PM in Britain?

Even if he braves the current storm, Johnson's clout on the Tories may have waned for good

In 2016, the United Kingdom's then foreign minister, Boris Johnson, mentioned a new term, 'Global Britain'. The coinage was in keeping with the (still) ongoing Brexit strategy to assert, or perhaps find, Britain's role in the world. By disassociating itself from Europe, the plan has been to refurbish the foreign policy and carve out its footprint. The vision of 'Global Britain' is at the heart of Johnson's broad strategy, which he has been touting at notable platforms, such as the G7 summit.

Johnson, in the introductory video of the summit in June 2021, compared himself to Winston Churchill, who "stood with Franklin D. Roosevelt to face the challenges of the devastation of the second world war." His brilliance, however, is yet to shine through, the ocean in the background of his video message, notwithstanding.

Brexit is a throwback to the golden past, the path that the country should have taken, as it's lost its global leadership, some would argue in the 1960s. Since then, it has been seen dragging its feet in the shadow of the big brother, the United States.

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The 'Global Britain' vision thus becomes Johnson's endeavour at 'Making Britain Great Again'. The exit from the European Union is the country's attempt at being recognised away from a group to mark its stamp on global politics. However, it has become a standing joke in the global community, and it remains impossible to define the need or the benefits accruing from the exit.

Brexit has so far claimed two prime ministers in Britain - David Cameron and Theresa May. The events in the past two weeks indicate the current prime minister, Boris Johnson, may be on his way out as well. He has evaded scandal and accusations in the past, but he may not be able to weather the most recent round.

He is accused of hosting parties at his official residence, 10 Downing Street, where drinks flew while the country reeled under lockdowns and sanctions. This is just not a pretty picture, led from the front by someone who dreams of a glorious tomorrow for his country.

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The Prime Minister's Office has also had to apologise to the Queen after the news leaked that at least two parties were held at 10 Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral. A staff member was reportedly sent out to procure a 'suitcase of wine'. While Johnson has admitted he attended the 100-people 'bring your own booze' party in May 2020, during a lockdown, he continues to vehemently assert that these get-togethers were 'work events' and that he did not flout any rules. His constituents do not agree with him. His approval ratings, as reported by the New York Times, are lower than Donald Trump's or his predecessor, Theresa May's, at any time during their respective tenures. As of January 11, 71 per cent of the British people feel Johnson is doing poorly in his role, and 69 per cent feel he is untrustworthy.

An investigation on whether the prime minister broke any rules is underway, and his immediate political career could be determined by its outcome. Further, whether Johnson will continue in his post will also depend on the anticipated resignations of his cabinet members. The country has witnessed more upheavals than it can weather in the past few years. Johnson may have lost whatever little political capital he had accumulated during his caricature of career. Even if he braves the current storm and emerges victorious for now, it can be said with certainty that his clout on the Tories, officially the Conservative and the Unionist Party, may have waned for good.

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This week, Johnson announced a spate of relaxations in the Covid-19 related rules for the British people, hoping to win some of his voters over. Political power, except in an autocracy, is won when the voters repose trust in the leader. If s/he seems to be out of breath when not reading from a script, their future may have been epitaphed. It may be a matter of weeks, if not days, for Johnson's future to be decided, at least in his current role. His latest move includes relaxing the guidance on wearing masks in public transportation, classrooms, and offices. He has also announced that people will not need to present a vaccination certificate to enter public events. These may be too little, too late. With defections to the Labor Party having started, his future may have already been decided, ironically, over a drink. Or a series of them.

In 1878, British PM Benjamin Disraeli, referring to his rival, William Gladstone, called him a "sophisticated rhetorician intoxicated by the exuberance of your own verbosity". One hundred years later, the Indian superstar, Amitabh Bachchan, said these lines coming out of an easter egg in a blockbuster film. It may be time for Johnson's verbose drunken revelries to come to a screeching halt, intoxicated as he may be.

(The author is a former Chief of Communications with UNICEF in New York, where he worked for more than a decade)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.

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