New British premier makes astute moves
By handing out key portfolios to Johnson, Davis and Fox, May shows her eagerness to implement Brexit
he former mayor of London, Boris Johnson, must be pinching himself today after being named the new British Foreign Secretary by Prime Minister Theresa May. After leading the Leave campaign to victory — a result that many said was simply a course that he chose so as to secure the keys to 10 Downing Street for himself, by displacing David Cameron — Johnson was politically ostracised to the point where he chose not to run for the leadership of the Conservative Party. It’s one thing to be politically ambitious, a far different one to be seen as overly politically ambitious — and Johnson’s career had been considered to be largely over — until May called him in from the cold on Wednesday evening by appointing him to the high-profile cabinet position.
Another notable appointment was that of David Davis, a former minister for Europe and a long-standing Eurosceptic, to lead a new department responsible for exiting the European Union (EU). Liam Fox, a former defence secretary, will take charge of international trade. May has effectively handed Johnson, Davis and Fox the responsibility for successfully carrying out the withdrawal, known as Brexit, which they repeatedly promised would yield new opportunities.
Putting crucial international portfolios firmly in the hands of Brexit supporters is an astute move by the new prime minister. She herself had been tepidly on the Remain side, but played a very lowkey role in the bitterly divisive and politically bruising referendum campaign.
Her appointment of the three Brexiters will help unite her Conservative Party and will counter any suggestion by the right-wing that she is soft when it comes to actually delivering on the result of the referendum. For Johnson, the elevation to the key post — the face of Britain as it seeks a new role in a post-EU world — represents a remarkable change of fortunes in a career that has had its share of them. He played a key role in the extraordinary national dramas of the last few months, abandoning Cameron, who desperately tried to keep Britain in the EU, and cheerfully becoming the public face of the Brexit campaign.
May herself, while home secretary, had mocked Johnson’s negotiating skills over London’s purchase of used German water cannons when he was the mayor. She blocked the use of the cannons, citing fears that they could cause serious injuries. Now, Boris is the new face of Britain.