Irish Examiner view: Story far from over for shamed Boris Johnson

The British prime minister has resigned but he's not out the door of No 10 yet

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returns inside after he announced his resignation outside 10 Downing Street on Thursday. Picture: Carl Court/Getty

And then he was gone. Or was he?

Boris Johnson eventually bowed to the inevitable yesterday — or at least what everyone else but he saw as inevitable — and resigned. Or did he? Well, sort of.

Johnson, in his boorish resignation speech outside Number 10 Downing St, suggested that he remain as British prime minister until a successor is chosen, something which could take until September to sort out, putting the frighteners on everyone who called for his head. And the electorate.

A snap poll in the wake of his announcement indicated two-thirds of Britons believed he was right to resign, and that included majorities of Conservative voters and those who voted to leave the EU — Johnson’s base.

The reason why so many of his parliamentary detractors — including those who until very recently were his biggest cheerleaders — and the electorate in general are so fearful is the perception that, if left in office while a successor is chosen, Johnson will use the time to somehow rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the Conservative Party and the voters.

Across Europe, too, the feeling is that people want to see Johnson and his ill-considered policies gone

Similar sentiments are being expressed here in Ireland, although perhaps not within the DUP.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he hoped a new British prime minister will signal a “renewal of relationship” for
Ireland and Britain. While he said that he “never said anything negative” about Mr Johnson, he did admit that they fundamentally disagreed on Brexit, although he added that he felt Mr Johnson was “good company”.

“It’s fair to say that, over the last while, that relationship has come under strain, and there have been significant challenges,” he said.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was less restrained, saying Mr Johnson’s interactions with Ireland have been “wholly negative” and that he will not be missed.

The problem is that Johnson has never abided by any norms — political or otherwise — and there are fears that his resignation speech might be another case in point. He didn’t really mean it

Johnson’s brazenness is a thing of legend. He may be the first British prime minister brought down not by personal shame but by collective disgust at his ongoing shamelessness. However, he is not gone out the door of Number 10 yet, and this story might have a distance to go still.