“Partygate”, electoral defeats, motion of no confidence, mass exodus from the government. In recent months, the flavescent mane of Boris Johnson has continued to pale in the face of a deluge of scandals which will have sounded the final hallali of his role as leader within the Conservative Party. After three years at the head of the British government, the former mayor of London ended up announcing his resignation on July 7. An almost traditional abandonment of post after the hasty departures of David Cameron and, more recently, Theresa May. The announced fall, a myriad of ways out are likely while waiting for his successor.
Lurking in the shadows like Theresa May
According to rumours, some ministers and loyal right-hand men would be ready to reintroduce Boris Johnson into their government if they were to become Prime Minister themselves. “Impossible”, speculates Tristan de Bourbon-Parme, correspondent for La Libre Belgique in the United Kingdom since 2009 who recently published the book “Boris Johnson: an upset European”. “Theresa May, she remained an MP. She refused to resign and continues to intervene in parliamentary debates. Her status as former Prime Minister gives her a special aura, her opinion carries real weight. Sufficient weight for Johnson? I do not think so. »
Even if his apparent bonhomie and his offbeat image of a disheveled clown stick to his skin, “BoJo” would enjoy an oversized ego reluctant to endorse a less prestigious costume than that of head of state.
Businessman like Tony Blair
“The second reason is financial”, continues Tristan de Bourbon-Parme. He has a fairly substantial lifestyle and, above all, has to pay considerable alimony as a father of seven children. Remaining a simple deputy, and benefiting “only” from 90,000 euros per year is not enough to meet his annual financial needs. “It must be said that the resigning Prime Minister’s bank account experienced more lucrative days when he wrote a weekly column in the daily news The Telegraph: “His annual salary was 299,000 euros. It is not improbable that he will want to return to this editorial department,” postulates Tristan de Bourbon-Parme.
Like his predecessor Tony Blair, Boris Johnson would also be entitled to amass a nice jackpot by entering the lucrative business of international conferences.
“He could step down from his seat as an MP before the end of the year to do what all former British Prime Ministers do: deliver highly paid speeches around the world and make more public appearances to give his point of view. view of society. A bad reputation following the decision to bring the United Kingdom to take part in the war in Iraq did not prevent Tony Blair from creating a foundation and offering his services as a speaker at 100,000 euros per intervention. Boris Johnson has the advantage of still having the image of a winner since he was the great savior of the Conservative party. A fervent ally of a Ukraine on fire and blood from the first Russian attacks, Johnson will also have managed to consolidate his stature as an international leader thanks to the military and financial aid granted to the country.
The deposed king of Albion is, in any case, not about to leave the scene. Whether political or not.