UK- The often-eventful term of Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has come to an end prematurely, with a series of events prompting the move that included partygate, the scandals involving Chris Pincher and Owen Paterson who were appointed by Johnson and the rising cost of living. As the UK prime minister set out on a farewell tour across the country, he didn’t rule out any possibility of returning.
Chris Pincher appointed by Johnson as Conservative deputy chief whip was accused of sexual misconduct at a private members’ club in London. The scandal severely impacted the prime minister due to his initial denial and later admission of his knowledge of the incident. Owen Paterson who was then Conservative MP brought out another hitch for Johnson over lobbying violation allegations to which Paterson resigned.
The Prime Minister remained firm amidst the challenges for most parts and showed no sign of retreating, but the building up of incidents did take a toll. The partygate scandal was seen as hypocritical by the public as Johnson was seen as violating his own lockdown policies with partygate, however Johnson continued to defend the lockdown policies a move which the current contender for prime minister Rishi Sunak had, at the time voiced opposition over concerns on the impact to the economy and school children. The rising cost living was likely the most prominent factor leading to the Prime Minister’s resignation with rising inflation and soaring energy cost having a severe impact on not just Britain’s most vulnerable, but even the middle class who are facing severe hardship. Inflation is however not unique to Britain as even fellow commonwealth member Sri Lanka also saw its government fall primarily due to inflation which resulted in a severe shortage of essentials such as fuel and gas. Inflation has strained many governments across world, where many are likely to lose upcoming elections in the near future.
Rory Stewart, who contested against the Prime minister for the conservative top spot in 2019, suggested that Johnson may plan a comeback similar to Silvio Berlusconi.
