With the parting rhetorical brilliance of "Them's the breaks," Boris Johnson resigned today, sort of. He still hasn't handed in his resignation to the queen, which is necessary to make it official, and he's staying on until his replacement is named. The other Tories are none too pleased about it. Via the Washington Post:
Although it is not uncommon in British politics for a prime minister to stay on until the selection of their successor — Theresa May remained in place for about two months in 2019 — some lawmakers and party grandees warned that Johnson was soiling the party brand and that he was too damaged to stay in office through the summer.
Dominic Cummings — Johnson’s former top aide and now chief critic, who helped his boss win the Brexit referendum and get elected — warned that the prime minister needed to go now. In a tweet, he urged the Conservative Party to “Evict TODAY or he’ll cause CARNAGE.”
Cummings said Johnson even now is “playing for time” and will try to stay on if he’s allowed to remain in office until the fall. “He doesn’t think it’s over,” he said, speculating that Johnson is plotting and thinking, “ ‘I can still get out of this, I got a mandate, members love me, get to September.’ ”
Does this sound, I dunno, FAMILIAR?
