Boris Johnson legacy after resigning complicated — but he’s not done yet

LONDON — It’s been dubbed “the long goodbye.”

Boris Johnson, the rumpled, brazen prime minister who in his naysayer-defying career led Conservatives to a historic win, ushered in a new style of British politicking and pulled his nation out of the European Union, finally came tumbling down this week under the weight of insurmountable scandals and dozens of resignations by his ministers.

But Johnson, who after refusing for days to step down relented Thursday, will remain in office while the ruling Conservative Party chooses his successor, a process that could take weeks or even months. It will be a painfully slow departure for a man whose already shaky reputation was further chipped away this year after revelations of boozy parties at his official residence during COVID lockdowns and, more recently, his botched responses after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against a lawmaker whom he promoted to an upper-level government job.

Johnson has promised to be a lame duck. His office said he would “not seek to implement new policies or make major changes of direction” in Britain while he awaits his replacement in 10 Downing St.

That leaves his nation largely treading water as it confronts a cost-of-living crisis, a wave of labor strikes this summer, grim predictions of a recession and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

But many Britons are equally exhausted by Johnson’s premiership, a nonstop trail of drama and chaos since he essentially ousted thenPrime Minister Theresa May in 2019, through a similar party revolt, with a pledge to “get Brexit done.” While voters then were hungry for Johnson’s undoubted communication skills, bubbly optimism and celebrity persona — a combination not often found in British politicians — many now are eager for someone who exhibits the seriousness, integrity and grasp of policy they expect from their leader in such trying times.

“Boris was an unconventional politician who came in during an unconventional moment in British politics,” said Matthew Flinders, a politics professor at the University of Sheffield. “A window opened up, and Boris was able to slide through it.

“But now we’re in a different time,” Flinders added, citing a “craving for a more sensible, calm, delivery-focused” leader.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images/TNS A photo illustration of British newspaper front pages following the resignation speech by Boris Johnson, on Friday in London.