On a recent episode of Breakthrough Radio, David Gaines spoke with historian and author Harry de Pepe, who shed light on the battle for the British premiership. Now that Johnson’s reign is over, there are still two candidates to succeed him: Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak and Secretary of State Liz Truss.
Although Boris Johnson has long seemed to get away with his antics, not only is public opinion fed up, his parliamentary group is now fed up. However, opinions within the Conservative Party about his much-discussed personality are not unanimous. “Many members are not happy with the departure of the fallen prime minister,” says De Paipe. More than 5,000 signatures have already been collected through a petition to keep Boris Johnson as prime minister. That’s too big for a party of 40,000 party members.
strong shadow man
Boris Johnson may resign as prime minister, but that doesn’t mean he automatically disappears from the scene. His book on Shakespeare will be published soon. In addition, it is not unrealistic to hold new parliamentary elections in the fall. If Johnson loses his parliamentary seat – he has only a slim majority in his constituency – then the story ends. However, if he could hold his seat, he could definitely still play a major role. “If the new prime minister fails, Johnson can show himself as the man who managed to score a major electoral victory in 2019,” explains DePapi. “Then he put the Conservatives back on the map, and then he would also be able to present himself as the only person who could still save the party. So a comeback is definitely in the cards.
legacy
The credibility of UK politics has long since fallen below zero. Since Tony Blair’s lies about Iraq, British politicians have struggled to gain a bad reputation, and it has only worsened in recent years. Boris Johnson also spread so many lies that he often got away with it.
However, Johnson certainly also managed to write a number of positive points. For example, he is celebrated in Ukraine as a hero because he has supported the country from day one. When China seized power in Hong Kong, he stated that the people of Hong Kong were welcome in the United Kingdom. De Pepe agrees, “It wasn’t discussed in our press, but it was a smart move.” “After all, it has ensured the influx of interesting features of strengthening the British economy.” He is also responsible for a successful vaccination campaign in the UK itself, which left the European Union behind.
Britain’s exit from the European Union
Implementing Brexit is undoubtedly Johnson’s greatest legacy. One thing people don’t understand here is the economic cost and administrative burden for a lot of people Brexit supporters It doesn’t matter at all,” says de Bee. Restoring autonomy and sovereignty is important at all costs. That is the motto, both Brexit supporters Like Boris Johnson. So it makes sense that the Conservatives would lose votes with this group, which is not comfortable with Boris’ impeachment.
Many Britons are also angry that they do not want to leave the European Union at all. Boris Johnson, as the personification of Brexit, is making them even more angry, especially now with so many scandals like… party gate To the light and Boris does not seem to shy away from lies.
From the rain in the drop?
Although he has become popular with part of the population, Boris Johnson is still popular. Opinion polls show that while the Conservative Party is at a loss, the loss would be greater under prime ministerial candidates Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss.
Rishi Sunak became indirectly involved in party scandal He is married to an Indian billionaire who does not pay UK taxes. “As finance minister, this obviously comes off poorly, and therefore is less successful at persuading the voter,” says DePaipe. Secretary of State Liz Truss lacks content. Her knowledge of the file leaves something to be desired at times and she has already made a number of seemingly silly statements.
The contentious election battle
The battle for leadership was already a sloppy, fast knockout race. Candidates Nadim Zahawi and Benny Mordaunt have already complained about the unprecedented smear campaign. Meanwhile, two candidates remained, both of whom frequently cite Margaret Thatcher as an example to look at. However, Thatcher herself is a divisive figure, and carries negative connotations for a large part of the population.
As the campaign draws to a close – results are expected by September – it looks more and more like an exciting House of Cards episode. Sunak supports a majority of MPs, but Truss is stronger in opinion polls. Top Conservative Michael Gove unexpectedly rallied behind candidate Kimi Badenoch, possibly to split the right wing. Brexit Jacob Rees-Mogg, the man who has always stood behind Johnson, sees Brexit in better hands with gears from Sunak. However, in 2016, Sunak was both pro-Brexit and anti-Truss.
Little difference in content
In fact, there are few differences between conservatives. Both sides oppose tax increases. Truss wants to achieve tax cuts through loans that the state must take. Al-Sinak rejects it because it only increases the national debt. He doesn’t use the word “tax increase,” but that’s what it’s up to. As finance minister, he has already implemented tax increases – something that Truss regularly points out.
Both – and most obviously Truss – are also opposed to “waking up”. Conservatives clearly understood that this appeals to voters. DeBaby: Kimi Badenok, a young woman of Nigerian descent, was an interesting candidate who was vehemently opposed to all that woke up. It was nice to see her arguing against Labor on issues like identity politics.
Opposition benefits
Now that the Conservatives are in the corner where the blows are falling, it is time for Labor to take advantage. “The fact that Labor is doing so well in the polls is not because of Labor itself, but because the Conservatives are very unpopular,” says DePapi. Keir Starmer tries to get the party back on the right track, but he suffers from internal conflict and also lacks personality. The danger for Labor is that they will run into trouble again soon if the new prime minister can get his message across in a good and communicative way.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is also using the premiership battle to put Scottish independence back on the table. After all, they are counting on the new prime minister to call new parliamentary elections, which they might win (thanks to the electoral system, which they have been so critical of). For example, the Scottish National Party could say that this is a clear indication that the voter wants independence, or at least a referendum on independence. However, it remains to be seen whether a new referendum will actually take place.
