Delivering his final speech before stepping down as British prime minister (PM), Boris Johnson advised Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak— the final two candidates in the running to be his successor—to stay “close to the Americans, stick up for the Ukrainians, [and] stick up for freedom and democracy everywhere.”
Johnson warned his successor, “Focus on the road ahead, but always remember to check the rearview mirror. Giving his “words of advice,” he said that while the treasury is important, it is critical to make independent decisions. He recalled, “Remember that if we’d always listened to the Treasury, we wouldn’t have built the M25 [motorway] or the Channel Tunnel.”
Addressing the discontent surrounding his tenure on social media, the outgoing PM reminded that it is not “Twitter that counts, it’s the people that sent us here.”
"Hasta la vista, baby"
— Bloomberg UK (@BloombergUK) July 20, 2022
This is how Boris Johnson signed off his final #PMQs as prime minister: with advice to "stay close to the Americans" and a quote from Terminator 2 https://t.co/4Bx4DD0XuO pic.twitter.com/fz7b9az9yB
Furthermore, he recommended the next leader to “cut taxes and deregulate wherever [they] can to make this the greatest place to live and invest, which it is.”
Celebrating his tenure, Johnson recalled that he had fought against the COVID-19 pandemic and helped save Ukraine from “barbarism.” Johnson also highlighted that he had led the party to secure the “largest Tory majority for 40 years” and “transformed [the British] democracy and restored [the] national independence.” He said that these successes were “enough to be going on with,” declaring, “Mission largely accomplished for now.”
Finishing his speech on a lighter note, he expressed gratitude to all those who supported him over the past few years, which he said had been the “greatest privilege,” and ended with “Hasta la vista, baby!”
Johnson subsequently received a standing ovation from his party members, several of whom had withdrawn support for him earlier, forcing him to resign.
Good riddance. Boris Johnson will be remembered as a pathetic charlatan who debased the great office of Prime Minister with his incompetence, arrogance and lies.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 20, 2022
We deserve so much better. It's time to kick his caretaker cabinet out of office, and give Britain a fresh start.
The speech came as the British Parliament breaks for summer recess, during which all 200,000 Conservative Party members from across the UK will vote through a mail-in ballot and select the next party leader and PM.
Before the recess, MPs voted to narrow down the list of candidates to replace Johnson to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak led the ballot after securing 137 votes. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Truss remained in the running after securing a narrow lead of eight votes over Penny Mordaunt.
Truss’s past as a former Liberal Democrat, her previous opposition to the monarchy, and her decision to vote to remain in the European Union in the Brexit referendum has been a cause for discontent among other Conservatives.
Both Rishi Sunak & Liz Truss have:
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) July 20, 2022
✅Supported cuts to welfare benefits
✅Voted against free school meals
✅Backed the grotesque Rwanda deportation policy
✅Failed to offer any convincing climate policies
Take your pick!#ToryLeadershipContest
However, Truss argues that she is the only contender that has shown true leadership, with many political leaders and commentators applauding her for her handling of the Ukraine crisis.
She has vowed to introduce $41 billion in tax cuts once appointed as PM, along with measures to boost enterprises and advance the ease of business.
Meanwhile, Sunak has criticised Truss’ “fantasy island” economics and insists that the focus should remain on bringing inflation under control by bringing back “traditional Conservative economic values.” Sunak has drawn praise for his furlough scheme, which provided billions of pounds in aid for citizens and businesses during the 18-month COVID-19 lockdown.
We can only do this together.
— Ready For Rishi (@RishiSunak) July 20, 2022
Thank you.https://t.co/3cXn1rFhca #Ready4Rishi pic.twitter.com/iIopIiF5I9
He has emerged as the top candidate in every round of voting so far. However, his popularity amongst citizens has taken a blow in recent months. Earlier this year, his wife, Indian citizen Akshya Murthy, was accused of misusing her non-domicile status to avoid paying millions in taxes on her earnings outside the UK.
A YouGov poll suggested that Sunak was, in fact, an underdog in the race and was predicted to lose to Truss.