Premiership of Boris Johnson

This article is about the events of Boris Johnson's tenure as Prime Minister. For the people in Boris Johnson's administrations, see First Johnson ministry and Second Johnson ministry.

Premiership of Boris Johnson 24 July 2019 – 6 July 2022
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Cabinet	First Johnson ministry Second Johnson ministry
Party	Conservative
Election	2019
Seat	10 Downing Street
Coat of arms of HM Government

Boris Johnson's term as the prime minister of the United Kingdom began on 24 July 2019 when he accepted Queen Elizabeth II's invitation, at her prerogative, to form a new administration. It followed the resignation of Theresa May, who stood down as prime minister and Conservative Party leader following Parliament's repeated rejection of her Brexit withdrawal agreement. Johnson was declared leader after the results of the leadership election were announced on 23 July 2019.

The extraordinary political turmoil over Brexit, begun during Theresa May's premiership, continued into the start of Johnson's premiership. This included a prorogation by Johnson that was overturned by the Supreme Court, the passing of the Benn Act against the government's fierce opposition, the expulsion of 21 MPs from the Conservative Party, the loss of the government's working majority, three failed attempts to dissolve Parliament and hold a general election, and allegations, particularly by Conservatives, of bias, rule-breaking and bullying by the speaker John Bercow. A snap general election was held in December 2019, and Johnson led the Conservative Party to their biggest victory since 1987 (under Margaret Thatcher). Following the election, Parliament ratified Johnson's Brexit withdrawal agreement, and the UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, beginning an eleven-month transition period.

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a serious crisis in early 2020. In late March, Johnson himself tested positive and was hospitalised with the disease. Johnson's government responded by enacting emergency powers and widespread societal measures including several lockdowns, and approved a vaccination programme that began in December 2020. Reception for Johnson's leadership during the crisis has been mixed. As the pandemic continued, the UK and EU negotiated the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which provisionally came into force on 1 January 2021. April 2021 saw the death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Later in the summer of 2021 was the Taliban offensive, and the withdrawal of most United States and allied troops from Afghanistan, prompting Operation Pitting and Johnson's fifth recall of Parliament. Partygate, regarding gatherings of Johnson's government and Conservative Party staff during COVID-19 lockdowns, became a significant controversy starting in late 2021. Early 2022 saw the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian crisis.

Boris Johnson’s premiership has been characterised by a string of political controversies, also described by journalistic sources as scandals, since he became prime minister, including Partygate, controversies regarding COVID-19 contracts, the Dominic Cummings scandal, the Downing Street refurbishment controversy, the Owen Paterson scandal and the wider parliamentary second jobs controversy, the Starmer slur controversy, the resignation of Johnson's two advisers on ethics and the Ministerial Code, and the Chris Pincher scandal. His approval ratings declined sharply in 2021 and 2022, after facing several investigations into corruption, whilst the overall stability of his government has been impacted by the resignations of several senior staffers. In June 2022, he won a confidence vote in his leadership of the Conservative Party, with 211 Conservative MPs voting in favour and 148 against. Within weeks the Chris Pincher scandal plunged the government into a political crisis.

Bozo's premiership is over. The Conservative party has finally turned on the lying, cheating rat. He will either walk out or be dragged out.

Conservative leadership bid

Main article: 2019 Conservative Party leadership election

Theresa May, after failing to pass her Brexit withdrawal agreement through parliament three times, announced her resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 24 May 2019 amidst calls for her to be ousted. Boris Johnson had already confirmed at a business event in Manchester days earlier that he would run for Conservative Party leader if May were to resign.

Prior to his state visit to the United Kingdom, US President Donald Trump endorsed Johnson for party leader in an interview with The Sun, opining that he thought he "would do a very good job." Johnson won all five rounds of voting by MPs, and entered the final vote by Conservative Party members as the clear favourite to be elected PM. On 23 July, he emerged victorious over his rival Jeremy Hunt with 92,153 votes, 66.4% of the total ballot, while Hunt received 46,656 votes. These results were announced an event in the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster. In his first speech as Prime Minister Johnson pledged that Britain would leave the European Union (EU) by 31 October 2019, "no ifs or buts".

Initial appointments

Main article: First Johnson ministry

Johnson holds his first Cabinet meeting

On the day of his announcement as Prime Minister Johnson handed the role of Chief Whip to "relative unknown" MP Mark Spencer.

Andrew Griffith, an executive at the media conglomerate Sky, was appointed chief business adviser to Number 10. Munira Mirza, who was a deputy mayor for Johnson throughout his mayoralty of London, was appointed director of the Number 10 Policy Unit. Dominic Cummings, former chief of the Vote Leave campaign, was appointed into a role as a senior advisor to Johnson.

Johnson's key cabinet appointments were Sajid Javid as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Dominic Raab as Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State, and Priti Patel as Home Secretary. Michael Gove became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and was replaced as Environment Secretary by Theresa Villiers. Gavin Williamson became Education Secretary, Andrea Leadsom became Business Secretary, Liz Truss became International Trade Secretary and Grant Shapps became Transport Secretary. Steve Barclay, Matt Hancock, Amber Rudd and Alun Cairns retained their previous cabinet roles, whilst Julian Smith, Alister Jack and Nicky Morgan took on new roles. Entering cabinet for the first time were Ben Wallace, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly, Rishi Sunak and Robert Buckland.

First 100 days

On 24 July 2019, Johnson entered 10 Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister. He used his first speech to promise that a Brexit deal would be struck within 99 days.

Johnson focused on strengthening the Union within his first few days in office, creating a Minister for the Union position and visiting Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Showing a commitment to the North of England, he gave Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry a right to attend cabinet. On 27 July, Johnson gave a speech at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester where he promised to build a high-speed rail route connecting the city to Leeds.

Johnson with US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in Biarritz in August 2019

Johnson's first overseas trip as Prime Minister was when he travelled to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 21 August 2019. He visited France to hold meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron the next day. From 24 to 26 August he attended his first multilateral meeting with world leaders as Prime Minister, when he travelled to Biarritz for the 45th G7 summit.

Prorogation of parliament

Main article: 2019 British prorogation controversy

On 28 August 2019, Johnson advised the Queen to prorogue parliament between 12 September 2019 and 14 October 2019, which was given ceremonial approval by the Queen at a Privy Council meeting. The prorogation spurred requests for a judicial review of the advice given by Johnson as the order itself, under royal prerogative powers, cannot be challenged in court. As of 29 August, three court proceedings had been lodged, and one European legal proceeding had begun:

• In the Court of Session, Edinburgh, for breach of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 and the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, by 75 MPs led by Joanna Cherry;
• In the High Court of Justice, Westminster, for an urgent judicial review on the legality of the use of the royal prerogative, by Gina Miller;
• In the High Court, Northern Ireland, for breach of the Good Friday Agreement, by Raymond McCord;
• In the European Parliament, for breach of Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, under the process outlined under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union.

On 24 September 2019 the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom found that Johnson's attempt to prorogue Parliament for five weeks "had the effect of frustrating or preventing the constitutional role of Parliament in holding the government to account", that the matter was justiciable, and therefore that the attempted prorogation was unlawful. It accordingly declared that the prorogation was void ab initio. Parliament returned the following day and the record was made to show that Parliament was not in fact prorogued but rather "adjourned". On 2 October 2019, Johnson announced his plans to prorogue Parliament on 8 October and hold a new State Opening of Parliament on 14 October.

Loss of working majority, Conservative MPs and ministerial resignations

On 29 August 2019, Johnson suffered the first ministerial resignation of his premiership, when Lord Young of Cookham resigned as a government whip in the House of Lords.

On 3 September 2019, Phillip Lee crossed the floor and defected to the Liberal Democrats following disagreement with Johnson's Brexit policy. This left the government with no working majority in the House of Commons. Later that day, 21 Conservative MPs – including former Chancellors Kenneth Clarke and Philip Hammond, and Nicholas Soames, a grandson of former Conservative leader Winston Churchill – had the party whip withdrawn for defying party orders and supporting the Benn Act, an opposition motion requiring the government to act to stop a no-deal Brexit if Parliament has not backed a deal by 19 October. Johnson saw his working majority reduced from 1 to minus 43.

On 5 September 2019, Johnson's brother Jo Johnson resigned from the government and announced that he would step down as an MP, describing his position as "torn between family and national interest."

On 7 September 2019, Amber Rudd resigned as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and from the Conservative Party, describing the withdrawal of the party whip from MPs on 3 September as an "assault on decency and democracy".

Brexit plan publication

On 2 October 2019, the government delivered its Brexit proposals to the EU in a seven-page document, including plans to replace the Irish backstop. The proposals would see Northern Ireland stay in the European single market for goods, but leave the customs union, resulting in new customs checks.

Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, said he did not think Johnson's Brexit plan would get EU support, claiming it was worse than the deal negotiated by former Prime Minister Theresa May. He also said the proposal was "very unspecific on how the Good Friday Agreement can be upheld."

On 4 October, government papers submitted to the Scottish court indicated that Johnson would ask the EU for an extension to the Article 50 process if a deal was not reached by 19 October. However, later the same day Johnson reiterated his earlier statement that the UK would be leaving the EU on 31 October, regardless of whether or not a deal had been reached.

Revised withdrawal agreement

Main article: Brexit withdrawal agreement

Unsigned letter from Boris Johnson requesting an extension

Signed letter from Boris Johnson saying that an extension would be a mistake

The 29 October European Council decision agreeing an extension until 31 January 2020

Following negotiations between the UK and EU, a revised withdrawal agreement was reached on 17 October. A special Saturday sitting of Parliament was held two days later to debate the new agreement. MPs passed an amendment, introduced by Sir Oliver Letwin by 322 votes to 306, withholding Parliament's approval until legislation implementing the deal was passed, and intending to force the government to request a delay from the EU for the exit until 31 January 2020. Later that evening, 10 Downing Street confirmed that Johnson would send a letter to the EU requesting an extension, but would not sign it. EU Council President Donald Tusk subsequently confirmed receipt of the letter, which Johnson had described as "Parliament's letter, not my letter". In addition, Johnson sent a second letter expressing the view that any further delay to Brexit would be a mistake.

On 21 October, the government published the withdrawal agreement bill and proposed three days of debate for opposition MPs to scrutinise it. The Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow refused a government request to hold a vote on the Brexit deal, citing their previous decision to withdraw it.

The government brought the recently revised EU Withdrawal Bill to the House of Commons for debate on the evening of 22 October 2019. MPs voted on the Bill itself, which was passed by 329 votes to 299, and the timetable for debating the Bill, which was defeated by 322 votes to 308. Prior to the votes, Johnson had stated that if his timetable failed to generate the support needed to pass in parliament he would abandon attempts to get the deal approved and would seek a general election. Following the vote, however, Johnson announced that the legislation would be paused while he consulted with other EU leaders.

On 30 October, Johnson took part in a one-hour and eleven minute long session of Prime Minister's Questions – the longest on record. He led tributes to parliamentarian John Bercow who stood down the following day after ten years as Speaker of the House of Commons.

2019 general election

Main article: 2019 United Kingdom general election

Calls for early election

On 3 September 2019, Johnson threatened to call a general election after opposition and rebel Conservative MPs successfully voted against the government to take control of the order of business with a view to preventing a no-deal exit.

The bill to block a no-deal exit, which the government opposed, passed the Commons on 4 September 2019, causing Johnson to call for a general election on 15 October. However, this motion was unsuccessful as it failed to command the support of two-thirds of the House as required by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA).

On 5 September, Johnson launched a national campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers. He also pledged to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 and increase schools funding.

A second attempt at a motion for an early general election failed on 9 September. After the programme motion for the withdrawal agreement bill failed to pass on 22 October, Johnson once again submitted a motion for an early general election under the FTPA. After the motion failed, the government put forward a short bill to hold another election – a method which needed only a simple majority and not a two thirds majority as required by the FTPA. Opposition MPs submitted an amendment to change the date of the election to 9 December rather than 12 December, but the amendment failed. On 29 October, MPs approved the election for 12 December in a second vote. The date of the election became law when royal assent was given on 31 October.

Campaign and results

Campaigning for the election began officially on 6 November. Johnson participated in a television debate with Jeremy Corbyn hosted by ITV on 19 November, and one hosted by the BBC on 6 December. He worked with Brett O'Donnell, a US Republican Party strategist, in preparation for the debates, whilst his campaign was managed by Isaac Levido, an Australian strategist. The Conservative Party's election manifesto said that the UK would spend 0.7% of its gross national income on overseas aid and more than 2% of its gross national product on defence, exceeding the defence spending target set by NATO.

The Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage had suggested the Brexit and Conservative parties could form an electoral pact to maximise the seats taken by Brexit-supporting MPs, something the US President Donald Trump urged the pair to do, but this was rejected by Johnson. Despite this Farage later agreed that his party would only contest non-Conservative seats.

During the floods which hit parts of England in November, Johnson was criticised for what some saw as his late response to the flooding after he said they were not a national emergency.

A map presenting the results of the election

The Conservatives banned Daily Mirror reporters from Johnson's campaign bus.

On 27 November, the Labour Party announced it had obtained leaked government documents; they claimed these showed that, despite claims otherwise, the Conservatives were in trade negotiations with the US over the National Health Service. The Conservatives said Labour were peddling "conspiracy theories".

Whilst campaigning in his constituency on 29 November, Johnson returned to Downing Street after news of a stabbing on London Bridge. Five people were stabbed and two died from their injuries; Johnson declared the incident an act of terrorism.

Under Johnson's leadership, the Conservative Party polled their largest share of votes since 1979 and won their largest number of seats since 1987, resulting in a landslide victory. Their total of 13.9 million votes was the largest number of votes won by any party since 1992. Their victory in the final contest of the election – the seat of St Ives, in Cornwall – took their total number of MPs to 365, giving them a majority of 80.

Start of second term

See also: Second Johnson ministry

On the morning of 13 December, after the results of the election were announced, Johnson asked the Queen's permission to form a new government, therefore beginning his second term. His administration remained the same as his first, aside from a new Secretary of State for Wales, to replace Alun Cairns, who resigned after claims that he had known about a former aide's role in the 'sabotage' of a rape trial. Nicky Morgan, who had not stood in the election, and Zac Goldsmith, who lost his seat, were made life peers to allow them to remain in the government, which was criticised as cronyism.

On 3 January 2020, a US airstrike in Iraq killed the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. Johnson was not told about the attack by US President Donald Trump prior to it happening. He was criticised for not returning from his holiday in Mustique as tensions between Iran and the West rose.

Johnson signing the Withdrawal Agreement, 24 January 2020

Johnson welcomed a decision by political parties in Northern Ireland to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly on the basis of negotiations between the British and Irish governments. Talks succeeded under Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith to create a 6th Northern Ireland Assembly, which resumed meeting on 11 January 2020. It followed a three-year hiatus with a new power sharing agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP.

On 18 January 2020, Johnson revealed plans for the Brexit Day celebrations in Downing Street, and the commemorative coin which entered circulation on that day.

On 20 January, in its first defeat since the general election, Johnson's government lost three votes in the House of Lords over its Brexit legislation. However, two days later, he said the UK had "crossed the Brexit finish line" after parliament passed the EU bill for implementing the withdrawal agreement. On 23 January, the bill was given royal assent and the next day it was signed by European leaders in Brussels and by Johnson in Downing Street. The signing in Downing Street was witnessed by both British and European officials, including the prime minister's Europe advisor David Frost.

On 28 January, the UK government decided to let Huawei have a limited role in building its new 5G network and supplying new high-speed network equipment to wireless carriers, whilst ignoring the US government's warnings that it would sever intelligence sharing if they did not exclude the company. The UK government stated that they deemed Huawei as a high-risk vendor but decided against banning the company from its 5G network, and said instead that they had decided to "use Huawei in a limited way so we can collectively manage the risk". Several Conservative Party members, on their part, warned against using Huawei.

There was a vote on the UK government EU bill in the European Parliament on 29 January where it was ratified by 621 votes to 49.

First and second COVID-19 waves

See also: COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and British government response to the COVID-19 pandemic

First wave

On 31 January 2020, the first UK COVID-19 cases were confirmed in York.

The Department for Exiting the European Union was closed down at 11:01 pm on 31 January, a minute after the United Kingdom officially left the European Union. The Brexit transition period lasted until 31 December 2020, an end date that was included in Theresa May's withdrawal agreement. Under an article of the agreement, the UK-EU Joint Committee could have decided to extend the transition period by "up to two years", but Johnson expressed his wish to have signed a free-trade deal with the EU by the end of December. During this time the UK remained in the EU's Single Market and Customs Union.

Johnson came under pressure to "pay back the trust of Northern voters" after his victory in the 2019 general election. This was a factor in him giving the go-ahead to the High Speed 2 (HS2) project on 11 February 2020. The rail line, capable of speeds above 186 mph, is scheduled to open in phases between 2028 and 2040. It has been criticised for its projected costs and impact on the environment. Additionally, Downing Street said that work was underway "by a range of government officials" to look into the prospects of building a bridge from Scotland to Northern Ireland.

Sajid Javid (top) resigned as Chancellor and was replaced by Rishi Sunak (bottom)

Johnson conducted a cabinet reshuffle on 13 February when a number of senior ministers were sacked, including Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith, Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom, Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox. Others leaving included Nicky Morgan and James Cleverly. In a surprise move, Sajid Javid resigned as Chancellor and was succeeded by Rishi Sunak. Javid's departure came from a refusal to comply with an order by Johnson to sack his advisory team and replace them with aides from Johnson's office. Steve Barclay, Alok Sharma, Brandon Lewis and Oliver Dowden changed their portfolios whilst Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Suella Braverman, George Eustice and Amanda Milling newly joined the cabinet.

On 27 February, a court ruling deemed a third runway at Heathrow Airport "unlawful". Johnson said he was not planning to appeal against the ruling. However, the court said that a third runway could be built in the future if it worked in line with the UK's commitments in the Paris Agreement. The Supreme Court lifted the ban on building a third runway a number of months later.

By 1 March 2020, cases of COVID-19 had reached every nation of the UK. Johnson unveiled the Coronavirus Action Plan and declared the outbreak a 'level 4 incident'. On 6 March he announced £46 million in funding for research into a COVID-19 vaccine and rapid diagnostic tests.

On 12 March Johnson said the outbreak represented the "worst public health crisis in a generation" after chairing an emergency COBR meeting. Johnson, and his team of advisers, including Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, held daily press briefings from Downing Street to update the public on developments. The press briefings, which were also chaired by other cabinet ministers, were not a daily occurrence after 23 June, and were instead more sporadic.

The government advised on measures such as social distancing and advised people in the UK against "non-essential" travel and contact with others, as well as suggesting people should avoid pubs, clubs and theatres, and work from home if possible. Pregnant women, people over the age of 70 and those with certain health conditions were urged to consider the advice "particularly important", and would be asked to self-isolate. Johnson announced that the UK would close the majority of its schools beginning on 20 March. That year's summer exams were cancelled across the UK. On 20 March, during the daily 5 pm press conference, Johnson requested the closure of pubs, restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues, museums and galleries that evening, though with some regret, saying "We're taking away the ancient, inalienable right of free-born people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub".

On 23 March, in a televised broadcast, Johnson announced wide-ranging restrictions on freedom of movement in the UK, enforceable in law for a period of up to 2 years. The UK had been amongst the last major European states to progressively encourage social distancing, close schools, ban public events and order a lockdown.

Johnson returned to Downing Street after recovering from COVID-19

On 27 March it was announced that Johnson had tested positive for coronavirus. Before he tested positive he said he had shaken hands "with everybody" at a hospital where there were confirmed coronavirus cases. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies had warned that the government should advise against handshaking due to existing evidence about the importance of hand hygiene. On 5 April he was taken to St Thomas' Hospital in London for tests due to him displaying "persistent symptoms". He was moved to the hospital's intensive care unit the next day as his condition had worsened. First Secretary of State, Dominic Raab began deputising for him "where necessary". After receiving "standard oxygen treatment" in hospital, he was moved out of intensive care on 9 April. He left hospital on 12 April after a week of treatment, and was moved to his country residence, Chequers, to recuperate. After a fortnight at Chequers, he returned to Downing Street on the evening of 26 April and was said to be chairing a government coronavirus "war cabinet" meeting. During the pandemic Johnson also reached a divorce settlement with his estranged wife Marina Wheeler, before his fiancée Carrie Symonds gave birth to a son.

On 30 April Johnson said that the country was "past the peak" of the outbreak and spoke about the importance of mask-wearing. He said that to avoid a second peak of infections, it was important to keep the R number below one (the number of cases directly generated by one case). On 10 May he asked those who could not work from home to go to work, avoiding public transport if possible, encouraged the taking of "unlimited amounts" of outdoor exercise, and allowed driving to outdoor destinations within England. The slogan previously used by the government, "Stay at Home", was newly changed to "Stay Alert".

The UK and EU trade negotiations were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in that videoconferencing was employed by the two sides.

Regarding a controversy about Dominic Cummings' travelling during the lockdown, Johnson used the televised coronavirus update on 24 May to say that he believed he had acted "responsibly, legally and with integrity". There was media pressure for Cummings to resign, or for Johnson to dismiss him. Cummings, and his ally Lee Cain, later departed Downing Street near the end of 2020.

Continued restrictions and resurgence

Johnson stated that he was "appalled and sickened" by the murder of George Floyd, which led to protests being held across the UK. He urged people to protest peacefully and said that the protesters who "attack[ed] public property or the police" would "face the full force of the law".

On 16 June 2020, Johnson announced that the Department for International Development would merge with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to create a new department named the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The move was carried out on 2 September, but was criticised by the Labour Party and by former Prime Ministers David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

During the Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict in July 2020, Johnson's government offered up to three million Hong Kong citizens the opportunity to live in the UK with a "route to citizenship" if they held British National (Overseas) passports.

In July 2020 the newly reconstituted Intelligence and Security Committee report on Russia was released. It stated that the British government and intelligence agencies had failed to conduct any proper assessment of attempts by the Russian government to interfere with the 2016 EU membership referendum. It stated that the government "had not seen or sought evidence of successful interference in UK democratic processes". The committee's Stewart Hosie, an SNP MP, said "The report reveals that no one in government knew if Russia interfered in or sought to influence the referendum because they did not want to know". Yet, the report stated that committee members had said that no firm conclusion could be ascertained on whether the Russian government had or had not successfully interfered in the referendum.

Due in part to pressure from the US government, in July 2020 Johnson's government decided not to buy any of Huawei's equipment, and told mobile providers to remove the firm's 5G technology from their networks by 2027. In November 2020, the government announced that the installation of 5G equipment will no longer be permitted from September 2021.

During Johnson's premiership the UK has seen an increase in English Channel migrant crossings. In August 2020, it was reported that in 2020 so far almost 4,000 people had crossed the Channel illegally, using at least 300 small boats. On 6 August a record number of migrants arrived, at least 235. It was also observed that while it was originally mostly men arriving, young children and pregnant women were also arriving. By the end of 2020, about 635 boats had crossed the English Channel, carrying 8,438 people.

On 4 September 2020 former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was appointed by the government as an advisor to the Board of Trade. Opposition MPs called for him to have been rejected over his views on "homosexuality, women and climate change". Seven months after the UK left the EU, the country's first major post-Brexit trade agreement was signed, a deal with Japan, with Liz Truss on the British negotiating side. It was said that "99% of exports to Japan" would be "tariff-free" as a result of the deal.

Amid fears of a second peak, on 9 September it was announced that from 14 September, in new rules, gatherings of more than six people in England would become illegal, with a number of set out exceptions. Fines beginning at £100, reaching £3,200 as a maximum for repeated offences, would be issued to those failing to comply. Johnson announced more restrictions on 22 September, which the media termed a "second Covid shutdown". During this time England was also under certain additional local restrictions. These restrictions were replaced with a three-tier approach for England on 14 October.

The introduction of the UK Internal Market Bill to Parliament caused controversy as there were concerns about the impact of parts of the bill on the rule of law. The government ultimately withdrew these parts before enactment.

On 16 October 2020 Johnson said that the UK "must get ready" for no trade deal with the EU.

In a press conference on 31 October, Johnson said that England would enter a four-week national lockdown beginning on 5 November. Non-essential shops and hospitality closed, but schools, colleges and universities remained open. By 16 November, despite not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, Johnson was self-isolating after coming into contact with an MP who tested positive, leading him on 18 November to become the first Prime Minister to attend Prime Minister's Questions via video link. The lockdown ended from 2 December when a revised three-tier approach for England was put into force. The same day it was announced that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech had been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Johnson announced that the UK would receive 800,000 doses of the vaccine the following week for the launch of the UK's vaccination programme.

After last-minute negotiations, it was announced on 24 December that a UK-EU trade deal had been agreed.

On 30 December it was announced that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had been approved and would also be rolled out.

The EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK-EU trade deal provisionally came into force on 1 January 2021.

On 4 January 2021, Johnson announced that England would enter a lockdown beginning the following day. People were told only to leave their homes for limited reasons. All schools and colleges closed to the majority of pupils. At the time the restrictions were said to last until at least mid-February.

Start of reopening

On 8 March 2021, schools in England reopened, with secondary schools requiring masks in lessons.

Johnson received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on 19 March and encouraged others to do the same, saying: "Everybody, when you do get your notification to go for a jab, please go and get it." On 7 April the Moderna vaccine began being rolled out.

Following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April 2021, the government ordered that its communications and some aspects of ministerial activity would pause for a number of mourning days.

"Let the bodies pile high in their thousands"

In April 2021, Johnson denied allegations made by the Daily Mail that he had said he would rather have seen "bodies pile high in their thousands" than approve a third lockdown. The full remark was reported to have been "No more fucking lockdowns – let the bodies pile high in their thousands". He is alleged to have said it on 30 October 2020, one day before the announcement of the second national lockdown. The phrase came to public attention in April 2021 when reports of the remark entered the public domain through a story in the Daily Mail written by Simon Walters. Walters had been a political journalist since the 1980s. According to The Guardian, Walters was regarded "as an outstanding story-getter" and that "if Walters has written a story, it would be wise to take it seriously".

Sources told the BBC and Robert Peston of ITV News that the remark was made. According to Peston, the remarks were heard by a number of people. Both The Guardian and the BBC reported that the remark had been heard shouted from an office in Downing Street following a main meeting. Peston stated that two witnesses were prepared to swear under oath that the remarks were made. Former chief adviser Dominic Cummings said in a May select committee that he heard the remarks being made.

Johnson denied having made the remark, describing it as "total, total rubbish". Cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Ben Wallace also stated that the reports of the remarks were untrue.

The reported remark was condemned by other British politicians and relatives of victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Middle of 2021

On 6 May 2021, local and mayoral elections were held across the UK, as well as Senedd and Scottish Parliament elections, and a by-election in Hartlepool. Johnson's Conservatives substantially improved their vote shares in most of the country, and won Hartlepool for the first time in the constituency's history. These elections were widely seen as a boost to the future of Johnson and his party, and further secured his position.

The 2021 Queen's Speech announced that the government will "level up opportunities across all parts of the United Kingdom, supporting jobs, businesses and economic growth and addressing the impact of the pandemic on public services", implementing an election manifesto pledge. Laws proposed in the Queen's Speech included a Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill to combat deplatforming at universities, an Online Safety Bill to impose a statutory duty of care on online companies and empower Ofcom to block particular websites, and an Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill to legally recognise animal sentience.

On 12 May, Johnson said an independent public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic would be held in spring 2022.

Johnson married Carrie Symonds on 29 May in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral.

The Conservatives lost the seat of Chesham and Amersham in a by-election on 17 June, the first time a non-Conservative candidate had won the seat since its formation in 1974.

On 19 July, a date dubbed "Freedom Day" by the media, the majority of COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in England.

On 19 July, 430 people crossed the English Channel, making it the largest crossing on record. 1,850 people crossed in July alone, which was more than the total for the whole of 2019.

On 17 August, following the UK's removal of troops from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Johnson announced a new scheme to resettle 20,000 Afghans in Britain. Parliament was recalled on 18 August and MPs gathered in the House of Commons chamber, with those previously haven spoken via video link unable to do so.

On 7 September Johnson announced plans for social care reforms, including a 1.25% rise in National Insurance to raise £36 billion over three years, and a cap of £86,000 on lifetime care costs in England. The following day MPs voted in favour of an NHS and social care tax rise by 319 votes to 248, a majority of 71.

Johnson conducted a cabinet reshuffle on 15 September 2021, which saw Dominic Raab become Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister and be replaced as Foreign Secretary by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss. Also changing their portfolios were Michael Gove, Steve Barclay and Oliver Dowden. Nadhim Zahawi, Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Nadine Dorries newly joined the cabinet, while Gavin Williamson, Robert Buckland, Robert Jenrick and Amanda Milling left the cabinet.

On 15 September, Johnson, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US President Joe Biden announced AUKUS, a security pact between the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States seen as an initiative to counter the perceived dominance of China in the Pacific. French and Chinese officials criticised the agreement.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government was renamed the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities under Gove, its Secretary of State. Former Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane was appointed as the head of the Levelling Up Taskforce.

Downing Street refurbishment controversy

Main article: 2021 Downing Street refurbishment controversy

In April 2021, Cummings made allegations that Johnson had arranged for donors to "secretly pay" for renovations on the private residence at 11 Downing Street. Cummings wrote on his blog that the plans were "unethical, foolish, possibly illegal" and "almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations if conducted in the way he intended."

On 27 April Johnson asked the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, to hold a review about the refurbishment. On 28 April, the Electoral Commission announced it had opened a formal investigation into the allegations. On the same day Johnson insisted that he had not broken any laws over the refurbishment and had met the requirements he was obliged to meet in full. During Prime Minister's Questions, the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer, asked: "Who initially paid for the redecoration of his Downing Street flat?"; Johnson responded: "I paid for Downing Street's refurbishment personally, Mr. Speaker."

On 28 May Lord Geidt published a report on the allegations in an annex to the register of interests. The report concluded that Johnson did not breach the Ministerial Code and that no conflict, or reasonably perceived conflict, of interest arose. However, Lord Geidt expressed that it was "unwise" for Johnson to have proceeded with refurbishments without "more rigorous regard for how this would be funded". Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, wrote to Lord Geidt asking for evidence of the lack of conflict of interest and said that it was "frankly scarcely believable" that Johnson did not know who was funding the refurbishments.

The Electoral Commission reported on 9 December that it found that the Conservative Party had failed to follow the law in not accurately reporting donations to the party from Lord Brownlow and imposed a £17,800 fine. The Herald say the commission's report outlines how in March all the money paid by Brownlow and his company had been reimbursed as had payments made by the Conservative Party and Cabinet Office. Downing Street had said at the time that the full cost of the works had been met personally by the prime minister. Following the publication of the report, The Guardian reported that Johnson had been accused of misleading Lord Geidt during his investigation due to apparent inconsistencies between the reports. Johnson had told Geidt that he did not know who had paid for the refurbishments until the story was reported in the media in February 2021, whereas the Electoral Commission found that he had messaged Lord Brownlow asking for extra funds in November 2020. Downing Street denied that there was any inconsistency stating that Johnson only contacted Brownlow in his role as the head of a blind trust collecting donations, but was not aware that Brownlow was also the source of the donations.

Turbulence since autumn 2021

2021 energy crisis

Main articles: 2021 United Kingdom fuel supply crisis and 2021 United Kingdom natural gas supplier crisis

In September 2021, a fuel supply crisis occurred in the UK, caused by panic buying triggered by media reports of a leaked government briefing discussing the shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers. This coincided with a rise in energy prices that Johnson said was a "short-term" problem caused by "the global economy coming back to life" after the COVID-19 pandemic. Economists of various political views, and the head of energy regulator Ofgem strongly disagreed. The UK government has turned to Qatar to seek a long-term natural gas deal to ensure a stable supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the UK.

Owen Paterson affair

See also: Owen Paterson § Lobbying and breach of Commons advocacy rules, and United Kingdom parliamentary second jobs controversy

In November 2021, Johnson backed a motion to block the suspension of Owen Paterson, a Conservative MP found to have abused his position by the independent standards commissioner after undertaking paid lobbying on behalf of two companies. The motion called for the creation of a new Conservative-majority committee to examine reforms of the standards investigation process. Many Conservative MPs refused to support the motion, and 13 defied a three-line whip to vote against it. Following the announcement by opposition parties that they would boycott the new committee, and faced with a backlash in the media and from MPs of all parties, the government reversed its position and announced that a new vote would take place on whether Paterson should be suspended. Paterson announced his resignation as an MP the same day. At a meeting of the 1922 Committee, Johnson said that he made a mistake over his handling of the affair.

After Paterson resigned, a by-election was held in Paterson's former constituency of North Shropshire. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Helen Morgan, overturned a Conservative majority of nearly 23,000 to win the seat. The 34% swing was seventh largest in United Kingdom by-election history. Veteran Conservative backbencher Sir Roger Gale described the result "as a referendum on the prime minister's performance".

Omicron variant

Main article: SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

In December 2021, more stringent restrictions for England were put forward by Johnson and the government. The restrictions, called "Plan B", were a partial renewal of previous measures due to the increased incidence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. These proposals included face coverings to be required in more public settings, guidance to use remote work wherever possible, and requirements of COVID passports to enter a nightclub or other large venues. However, 40 Conservative MPs later voted against mandatory face coverings in the House of Commons and 100 voted against compulsory COVID passes – the largest parliamentary rebellion of Johnson's premiership. Eight Labour MPs, ten Liberal Democrat MPs and six Democratic Unionist MPs also voted against the proposals, as well as Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and independent MPs Rob Roberts and Jeremy Corbyn.

Partygate

Main article: Partygate

Downing Street, the location where allegedly illegal parties took place

In early December 2021, reports emerged that social gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff had taken place in 2020 while COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were in place. The Daily Mirror reported that some Downing Street staff had held multiple gatherings in November and December 2020, after the official Christmas party was cancelled due to COVID regulations. Johnson denied that any rules were broken, and a spokesperson denied that a party occurred. Following a leaked video showing Downing Street staff joking about a "fictional party", at a press conference rehearsal recorded days after the alleged party took place, Johnson apologised for the contents of the video and suggested he had been misled but had now ordered an inquiry into whether a party took place and whether rules were broken.

On 10 January 2022, ITV News reported that a planned party had taken place on 20 May 2020, at the height of the first lockdown. ITV had obtained an email sent by principal private secretary Martin Reynolds to staff inviting them to "socially distanced drinks" in the garden of No. 10 and asking them to "bring your own booze". At the time, people outdoors were not allowed to meet more than one person from outside their household. Two eyewitnesses later alleged that Johnson and Symonds attended, contradicting Johnson's insistence in December 2021 that there were "no parties". At first, Johnson did not deny that he attended.

On 12 January 2022, Johnson apologised to MPs in the Commons for "attending an event in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown", stating he believed it was "a work event". He said that MPs should await the outcome of the independent inquiry into Westminster lockdown parties, led by senior civil servant Sue Gray, which he said "will report as soon as possible". There were immediate calls across the House for Johnson to resign, voiced mainly by the leaders of the opposition parties. Later, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said that Johnson should resign and other Conservative MPs have subsequently stated their agreement.

On 19 January, Bury South MP Christian Wakeford publicly announced that he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Johnson's leadership as a result of the scandal. Later that day, shortly before Prime Minister's Questions, it was announced that Wakeford had defected from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party. At the end of Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative former minister David Davis dramatically called for Johnson to resign, quoting Leo Amery calling on Neville Chamberlain to resign during the Norway Debate in 1940, and saying: "You have sat there too long for all the good you have done. In the name of God, go." (The words are originally attributed to Oliver Cromwell.) Newsnight's political editor Nicholas Watt said it was an "extraordinarily significant moment" and that Davis would have intended it to be "particularly devastating" to Johnson.

On 25 January, the Metropolitan Police's chief commander, Cressida Dick, announced that they were commencing investigations into the Downing Street Parties. Dick stated that "potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations" at Downing Street and Whitehall over the last two years would be looked into.

An abbreviated version of the Sue Gray report into the controversy was released on 31 January, where Gray concluded there was a "failure of leadership" over the events that she had examined. The full report has not yet been released pending the Metropolitan Police's investigation. Johnson subsequently made a statement in the House of Commons regarding the report.

In early February 2022, three of Johnson's senior aides resigned: Dan Rosenfield (chief of staff), Reynolds and Jack Doyle (director of communications).

Johnson's approval rating in an Opinium poll in January 2022 was minus 24%, an increase from minus 31% before Christmas 2021, but well below the Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, who was at plus 3%. On 15 January, Johnson's personal approvals were worse than the lowest figures ever recorded by Theresa May. Majorities of virtually every political and demographic group questioned stated that they believed Johnson and his colleagues ignored rules and lied over it, and that Johnson should resign. Five polls in early February 2022 showed 63% on average wanted Johnson to resign. In the second week of February Johnson's net personal approval stood at minus 46% and the Conservative Party was 10 points below the Labour Party. 13% of voters believed Johnson had been telling the truth about Partygate, 64% did not.

On 12 April 2022 the police made a second batch of (at least 20) referrals to the ACRO Criminal Records Office of fixed penalty notices (FPN) of £50 for breaches of COVID-19 regulations. Downing Street later confirmed that Johnson, as well as his wife and Sunak would be receiving fines. Matt Fowler of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice said: "It's plain as day that there was a culture of boozing and rule breaching at the highest level of government, whilst the British public was making unimaginable sacrifices to protect their loved ones and communities". Keir Starmer called for Johnson to resign and Ed Davey suggested that Parliament be recalled to hold a no confidence vote in Johnson.

Starmer comments controversy

In the Commons on 31 January, Johnson attempted to falsely blame Starmer for the non-prosecution of serial sex offender Jimmy Savile when Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Johnson was heavily criticised for the comment and his policy adviser Munira Mirza resigned three days later, saying in her resignation letter that Johnson had made "a scurrilous accusation" against Starmer. Also on 3 February, during an interview with Sky News, Johnson would not apologise for his comment and tried to defend it by stating that, in 2013, Starmer apologised because the CPS had not investigated Savile; however, Johnson then said: "I totally understand that he [Starmer] had nothing to do personally with those decisions".

On 7 February, while Starmer and his colleague David Lammy were leaving Parliament, they were ambushed by a group of people who shouted abuse at Starmer including the words "traitor" and "Jimmy Savile". Two people, a man and a woman, were arrested after a traffic cone was thrown at police officers. Johnson tweeted that it was "absolutely disgraceful" and thanked the police for acting swiftly. Shayan Sardarizadeh for BBC Monitoring said that the protest was an attempt to recreate the Ottawa "freedom convoy" protests in the UK, and noted that the activists' references to Magna Carta indicated that the protesters were members of the sovereign citizen movement. Julian Smith, the former chief whip, and Simon Hoare were among Conservatives who called for Johnson to apologise. MP Kim Leadbeater and Brendan Cox, the sister and husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, warned against politicians lending credence to far-right conspiracy theories. The following day, a Downing Street source said that Johnson still would not apologise for the slur against Starmer.

Following the incident when activists forced police to protect Starmer and Lammy extremists issued multiple death threats against Starmer and other Labour MPs. The Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) sent material to the Metropolitan Police. Imran Ahmed of the CCDH stated, "Every time a violent extremist makes a threat of violence and gets away with it, the norms of those groups worsen, and others are driven to newer depths of behaviour."

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Main article: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

During the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Johnson's government warned the Russian Government not to invade Donbas. Despite this, Johnson's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told BBC News that British troops were "unlikely" to be deployed. In a phone call to President Vladimir Putin, Johnson urged him to "avoid bloodshed". Johnson and Putin agreed in a phone call to work towards a "peaceful resolution". On 1 February and 9 April 2022, Johnson arrived in Kyiv on a diplomatic visit. He called the presence of the Russian Armed Forces near the Russia–Ukraine border "the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades". On 20 February 2022, Johnson warned that Russia is planning the "biggest war in Europe since 1945" as Putin intends to invade and encircle Kyiv.

In March 2022, at the Conservative Party's spring conference in Blackpool, Johnson was criticised for comparing the struggle of Ukrainians fighting Russia's invasion to people in Britain voting for Brexit.

Repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act

Main article: Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022

In December 2020, the government published a draft Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (Repeal) Bill, later retitled the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill when it was laid before Parliament in May 2021, which would ultimately repeal the 2011 Fixed-term Parliaments Act, revive the prerogative powers of the monarch to dissolve Parliament (at the request of the prime minister), and ensure that a Parliament is automatically dissolved five years after it first met (17 December 2024) and polling day being 25 working days later (24 January 2025).

The Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill was granted Royal Assent on 24 March 2022, meaning that the prime minister will again be able to request the monarch to dissolve Parliament and call an early election, with 25 working days' notice.

Voter ID laws

Main article: Elections Act 2022

The Elections Act 2022 was introduced to the House of Commons in July 2021, and received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022. The Act introduces voter photo identification for in-person voting to the United Kingdom for the first time. It will give government new powers over the independent elections regulator; the Electoral Commission has said it is "concerned" about its independence from political influence in the future.

The requirement would apply to UK general elections, English local elections, and police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales.

Confidence vote

In June 2022, the publication of the Sue Gray report into Partygate and a widespread sense of general dissatisfaction towards Johnson's leadership among Conservative MPs for various disparate reasons, led to a vote of confidence among his Conservative colleagues on 6 June 2022, in which 359 Conservative MPs voted in secrecy; 58.8% (211 MPs) supported Johnson and 41.2% (148 MPs) stated no confidence in his leadership.

June 2022 by-elections

Main articles: 2022 Wakefield by-election and 2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election

Following heavy Conservative defeats in the 23 June by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton, by the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats respectively, Oliver Dowden, the Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party, resigned, saying: "We cannot carry on with business as usual" and "Somebody must take responsibility". Former party leader Michael Howard called for Johnson to resign, saying: "[Mr Johnson's] biggest asset has always been his ability to win votes but I'm afraid yesterday's results make it clear that he no longer has that ability. ... The best person in the Conservative Party to judge the mood, both of the party and of the electorate, is its chairman... I think the party, and even more importantly the country, would now be better off under new leadership." Johnson announced that had no intention of changing or resigning; senior Conservatives accused him of increasingly "delusional" behaviour. On 26 June 2022 Johnson said: "At the moment I'm thinking actively about the third term and what could happen then, but I will review that when I get to it."

Sex scandals

Main article: Chris Pincher scandal

• In February 2022, Johnson appointed Chris Pincher as Deputy Chief Whip. It later emerged that allegations had been made that Pincher had made unwanted sexual advances towards a number of men. In June 2022 Pincher resigned his position, after allegations he had groped two men while drunk. Johnson was alleged to have described him as "Pincher by name Pincher by nature." In July 2022, Johnson faced questions over how much he knew about Pincher's behaviour when he appointed him in February.
• In May 2022, Neil Parish resigned as an MP after watching pornography in the Commons chamber.
• In April 2022, former Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan was imprisoned for 18 months for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
• An unnamed Conservative MP was told to keep away from Parliament as he had been arrested on suspicion of rape and other crimes.

See also

• List of international prime ministerial trips made by Boris Johnson
• 2010s in United Kingdom political history
• 2020s in United Kingdom political history

Further reading

• Arbuthnott, George, and Calvert, Jonathan, Failures of State: The Inside Story of Britain's Battle with Coronavirus (Harper Collins, 2021).
• Charmley, John. "Churchill or Chamberlain? Boris Johnson is facing a national crisis like few other prime ministers. Which of his predecessors will he draw comparisons with?" History Today (June 2020) 70#6 pp 90–93.
• Freedman, Lawrence D. "Britain Adrift: The United Kingdom's Search for a Post-Brexit Role." Foreign Affairs (May/June 2020) 39#3 pp 118–130.
• Heppell, Timothy, and Thomas McMeeking. "The Conservative Party Leadership Transition from Theresa May to Boris Johnson: Party Popularity and Leadership Satisfaction." Representation 57.1 (2021): 59-73.
• MacMillan, Catherine. "Lords of Misrule? Carnivalesque Populism in the Brexit Discourse of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson." MCES-2020: 59 online.
• O'Toole, Fintan, "The King of Little England", The New York Review of Books, 68#10 (10 June 2021), pp. 44–46.
• Prosser, Christopher. "The end of the EU affair: the UK general election of 2019" West European Politics (Feb 2021) 44#2 pp 450–461.
• Römer, Felix. "Boris Johnson, Thatcherism and the rhetoric of'wealth creators'." Renewal (0968252X) 28.2 (2020).
• Schwarz, Bill. "Boris Johnson's Conservatism: an insurrection against political reason? Boris Johnson's newly adopted persona as embodiment of the people's will represents another step along the road towards a very English populism." Soundings (13626620). (Winter2019/2020), Issue 73, pp 12–23.
• Smith, Julie. "COVID-19, Brexit and the United Kingdom – a year of uncertainty." Round Table (Feb 2021) 110#1 pp 62–75.