Posted on 07/08/2022 4:44:22 AM PDT by FarCenter
Fate has – at last – caught up with scandal-prone UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The key agents of his doom were some of the ablest and highest-profile members of his cabinet. The resignations – within minutes of each other – of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday prompted what some have dubbed “a constitutional coup.”
In their letters of resignation, both men focused on Johnson’s integrity and judgment – or rather, the lack thereof.
Still, a coup de grace was needed. That was delivered by Johnson’s own replacement for Sunak, the very newly minted Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi.
“Prime Minister: this is not sustainable and it will only get worse…you must do the right thing and go now,” Zahawi wrote in a public letter – the same weapon deployed by Sunak and Javid – on Thursday.
Only then did the formerly bulletproof premier realize the game was up. That afternoon Johnson admitted, “The herd instinct is powerful, and when the herd moves, it moves,” adding, “In politics, no one is remotely indispensable.”
Sunak is of Indian ancestry, Javid of Pakistani, and Zahawi, Kurdish. All three have respected political careers; all three are seen as runners in the race to replace Johnson. That opens up the enticing prospect that an Anglo-Asian premier may, for the first time, take the UK’s national helm.
Why enticing? Because it would be a symbol that the UK – formerly, an arch imperial power, and subsequently a nation still wracked by classism and racism – is advancing into a more inclusive future.
(Excerpt) Read more at asiatimes.com ...
BoJo did all he could to sabotage Brexit and was an eager and willing follower of the covid cabal. Although the damage is done, good riddance!
He could have used Brexit to “Make Britain Hong Kong Again” and turned his nation a economic powerhouse (again), but instead took the conventional uninspiring political path.
How can a nation with a Paki mayor of it’s largest city ever even consider being an economic powerhouse?
Labor has destroyed the UK
“the enticing prospect that an Anglo-Asian premier may, for the first time, take the UK’s national helm.”
And why, other than to titillate the anti-Western, leftist media would it be enticing to have immigrants of foreign extraction as head of a Western power? Do the far-left journalists advocate for a British leader in India, Pakistani, and Kurdistan?
Yeah...most of the others mentioned are English. What does that tell you about England these days? It’s like our Squad in Congress here in the US. I don’t really understand the English government but it sounds as if Johnson is being pushed out so one of these guys can take over.
Darn it, FR! I can’t read an article about Johnson without thinking about yesterday’s Johnson Motors joke. LOL
What I don’t understand is how he can stay in office until someone else is chosen. Don’t they have a chain of command of people who would pick up the mantle in the interim?
There is no line of succession for the Prime Minister.
The Queen is required to a appoint as Prime Minister the person who can command a majority of the House of Commons.
Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party. By Conservative Party rules, this prompts a leadership election. His successor as Party Leader will take over as Prime Minister as soon as they officially become Party Leader.
Johnson is staying on as PM in a caretaker role, until the Conservatives choose his replacement.
There is a possibility that the Tories may not want to keep Johnson on as a caretaker PM, in which case a senior MP or Minister, who is not running for the for the leadership, will probably be asked to serve as PM until the leadership election is over.
It has been observed that almost all prime ministers in a parliamentary system end in failure. That’s just how the system works. Very few retire on their own terms.
"inclusive"
Is this Britain or India?
“Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid “
And...
“the very newly minted Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi.”
Thanks for the explanation.
Question: What happens if a current Prime Minister dies unexpectedly? Is there a chain of command or method of installing someone at a moments notice so there is a continuity of leadership? One would think there would be an automatic line of succession like we have in our elected government.
I would assume the Queen would appoint the Deputy Prime Minister on an interim basis,
But unlike the Crown, or US Presidency (which are never vacant) you could technically not have a Prime Minister.
However, UK Prime Minsters are, to a certain extent more of a First Among equals in the Cabinet, as opposed to being the sole leader.
Very different than our form of government in the USA for sure.
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