Fresh from bottling out of the Conservative (Tory) Party leadership, Boris Johnson is making a bid for continued relevance by launching a foundation focused on Ukraine.
An unflinchingly belligerent policy towards Russia with respect to the Ukraine war made Johnson popular in Kyiv (Kiev) during his time as Prime Minister — indeed, after successor Liz Truss was forced out of office Ukraine openly, albeit briefly, endorsed Johnson returning to 10 Downing Street — even as his premiership fell apart at home.
With little else to show in the way of a political legacy — a botched half-Brexit on terms scarcely indistinguishable to those negotiated by Theresa May, an inept vaccine rollout during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, and a net-zero green agenda Conservative voters never asked for are all Tory MPs tend to mention — Johnson may think that tying himself to Ukraine’s struggle against its much larger neighbour may be the best way to shine his tarnished reputation.
This is taking the form of a new office in Westminster, the heart of British politics, which Johnson intends to use as a base to launch a foundation which will raise money for reconstruction in the Eastern European country, according to The Telegraph — a newspaper close to the Tories which has previously employed him.
“Boris will raise loads of money” for a so-called “Marshall plan for Ukraine”, according to a “friend” of the ex-premier who spoke to the newspaper.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Brutus to Johnson’s Julius Caesar during his downfall, appeared to give his tacit endorsement to the former premier embarking on such a project after he forced him out of the race.
“Although he has decided not to run for PM again, I truly hope he continues to contribute to public life at home and abroad,” Sunak said patronisingly after Johnson withdrew his proverbial hat from the ring — although he stopped short of inviting his old boss to participate in his administrations, for all his hypocritical calls for the party to “unite” after his belated palace coup.
Sunak, whose resignation from the Johnson administration alongside then-Health Secretary Sajid Javid precipitated an exodus of other government ministers, was the Tory parliamentary party’s favoured pick to succeed Johnson, but ordinary party members instead voted for Liz Truss in an internal party election.
However, Truss was very quickly brought down — her premiership was the briefest in British history — with Johnson emerging as the only serious challenger to Sunak as the parliamentary party moved once again to put Sunak in charge.
But Johnson backed out at the last minute, leaving MPs who did endorse him high and dry, after the Sunak faction made it clear they would not unite under Johnson’s leadership.
Sunak was therefore coronated unopposed, with ordinary party members given no opportunity to endorse or once again reject the man they had already turned down mere weeks prior.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.