British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a lover of ancient Greek and Latin literature and history, is often fascinated by the fall of the Roman Empire but his government is now threatened by a similar fall, as the New York Times has described it.
Johnson is facing an unprecedented crisis since his triumphant accession to power in July 2019 and is suffering from a collapse in his popularity, according to the results of opinion polls and calls for his resignation. But the coming weeks will be fraught with peril as there is much speculation that Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, may be questioned or fined by investigators.
The police are investigating, in particular, a meeting in the PMs official apartment on November 13, 2020, where a popular song by the band ABBA was broadcast celebrating the departure of Dominic Cummings, Johnson's influential adviser and archenemy of the Prime Minister.
"The public has a right to know whether the prime minister has committed a misdemeanor," said Angela Rayner, the second-ranking official in the opposition Labor Party. On the other hand, Labor leader Keir Starmer renewed his call for Johnson to resign, arguing that the prime minister was more interested in "saving himself" than he was in the cost of living. Among the Conservatives, some have publicly called for his departure, such as Representative Andrew Mitchell.
Boris Johnson is the Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, and has been an MP continuously since 7 May 2015. He currently holds the government post of Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union. In addition, he is the Leader of the Conservative Party.
Before settling in 10 Downing Street - the official address of the British Prime Minister's residence - Boris Johnson lived a tumultuous life at the heart of events and under the spotlight, whether in politics as deputy, shadow minister, mayor of the capital and minister, or in relation to his personal matters such as marriages, betrayals, divorces and altercations with many women.
He was often famous for his embarrassing situations, as some called him a clown because of his many public lapses, his provocative statements, his contradictory stances and his repeated scandals. However, this was at no time enough to stop his ambition, or to prevent the rise in his popularity in some circles, or to hinder his rise to the top of the pyramid of power.
Johnson was born in New York in 1964 and his parents moved to Britain when he was a young child. He studied in more than one field, including literature at Oxford. He worked as a journalist before entering the political arena and becoming a deputy in the House of Commons as well as Mayor of London. He is known to be stingy and sharp in his criticism. Some critics describe him as Britain's "Trump."
Johnson's most important work for him was his book "The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History," which was released in 2015 and has sold more than a quarter of a million copies. It was subjected to strong criticism in academic circles, with some describing it as "lazy history," as it was more like political propaganda rather than an academic text, whose sole purpose seemed to convince British voters that Johnson is the new Churchill.
After agreeing to a revised Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU, which replaced the Irish backstop with a new Northern Ireland Protocol, but failing to win parliamentary support for the agreement, Johnson called a snap election for December 2019 in which he led the Conservative Party to victory with 43.6% of the vote, and the party's largest share of seats since 1987. On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom withdrew from the EU, entering into a transition period and trade negotiations leading to the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The COVID-19 pandemic became a major issue of his premiership as the government responded with various emergency powers, introduced measures across society to mitigate its impact, and approved the rollout of a nationwide vaccination program. Johnson has been criticized for his slow response to the outbreak, including his resistance to introducing lockdown measures.
The “party” crisis brought all of Johnson’s blunders back to the fore, and it became a frequent topic on British tongues in the media, the corridors of politics, and even at family gatherings and social networking sites. Suddenly, everything the prime minister had done became "unforgivable mistakes" for which he must be held accountable by "expelling" him from the government and political life.
Johnson has many achievements in his track record that make his party slow to decide hastily on his fate, and to consider offering him an alternative at this critical time.
This man - Johnson - did not fail in his political life despite all his missteps, but the "party" crisis was a "shambles" for him, while the opposition and local media say that the party is over, and "Johnson's departure is a matter of time."
