Rarely in the annals of British political history has a leader faced a storm as fierce as that which engulfed Boris Johnson in his final days at Number 10.
In a newly released chapter from his memoirs in the Daily Mail, Boris delivers an account as frank as it is stirring, laying bare the trials and betrayals that led to his untimely fall from grace.
What strikes one most about this narrative is not merely the catalogue of political missteps or the plots hatched behind closed doors, but rather the indomitable spirit of the man himself, a leader whose resolve has not been broken by defeat but merely sharpened by adversity.
Like the great statesmen before him, Boris faced the swirling winds of dissent and internal treachery. Yet, he also contended with a relentless modern British media, more determined than ever to dismantle his legacy. And yet, throughout his words in this pre-released part of his book, one is reminded of a truth Churchill knew all too well: in politics, betrayal is a dish served not by enemies, but by those once deemed allies. For Boris, the figures of Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak stand in this role, their resignation letters the symbolic daggers that brought down the man who had only recently delivered the nation from the clutches of Brexit uncertainty and pandemic peril.
Mr. Johnson’s tone, much like the man himself, is unapologetic. He recounts with conviction the great strides his government made, from a resurgent economy to the vaccine rollout that outpaced the world. These were no small feats, and it is clear that Boris views them as evidence of a premiership cut short not by failure, but by a restless few who lost their nerve. And here, we see the true heart of the matter – a leader betrayed not by lack of achievement, but by a party too anxious to hold steady when the waters grew rough.
In this tale of political intrigue, Boris emerges as the beleaguered yet steadfast warrior, blindsided by ambition from within his own ranks. It was Caesar who fell to the conspirators in the Senate, and here, the metaphor is drawn once more. As he read Sunak’s resignation letter, he “murmured the dying words of Julius Caesar,” and one is left to wonder: was it ambition or naiveté that spurred Rishi Sunak to move so swiftly?
But there is a deeper element at play in these released pages. Mr. Johnson’s lament is not solely for himself, but for the great agenda he had set in motion. The levelling up, the infrastructure revolution, the fight for Ukraine—these were not policies to be cast aside lightly. And yet, cast aside they were, by a Conservative Party whose thirst for change was, in Mr. Johnson’s view, both hasty and ill-considered. He argues that had the party stuck with him, they would have emerged victorious in 2024, with a legacy secured not just for him, but for the Conservative cause itself.
One cannot help but admire the spirit with which Boris defends his record. There is no surrender here, no meek acceptance of defeat. Boris reflects with honesty on his failures – his mishandling of ‘Partygate,’ his inability to bring certain colleagues into the fold—but these admissions are not offered as excuses. Rather, they are the reflections of a leader who, having been dealt the cruellest of hands, has the clarity of mind to see both the good and the bad. He acknowledges his own shortcomings, but with the confidence of a man who knows that his political vision was, and remains, sound.
Indeed, it is the vision that most captivates. Boris speaks not of a broken Britain, but of a nation on the brink of greatness.
Brexit, far from the disaster its critics predicted, enabled a dynamic new relationship with the world, one in which Britain could lead on the global stage. The economy, battered but unbroken by the pandemic, was set to rebound under his leadership. And yet, just as the nation was poised to reap the rewards of these policies, the internal machinations of the Conservative Party threw it into disarray.
As we read through his account, we are reminded that politics is often a battleground where success is not enough to guarantee survival. Boris, much like Churchill in the aftermath of the Second World War, finds himself ousted not in the wake of defeat, but at the height of his accomplishments. One cannot help but feel the weight of irony: a leader who delivered one of the greatest electoral victories in recent memory, only to be undone by the very party he lifted to power.
Yet, in typical Johnsonian fashion, he does not dwell long on the bitterness of his fall. Instead, this released chapter closes on a note of defiance, a clear signal that while he may have been cast aside for now, his time is not over. The words ring with an unmistakable echo of Churchill’s famous dictum: “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.” For Boris Johnson, the future remains unwritten, the course of history still open.
And so, we are left with a portrait of a leader both humbled and emboldened. A man who has tasted the sting of betrayal, but who has not allowed it to dampen his spirit. There is an undeniable grandeur in his refusal to be cowed by his circumstances. For if there is one lesson to be drawn from this chapter of his memoir, it is that the character of a leader is not defined by the easy victories, but by the tenacity with which they face their darkest hours.
Boris Johnson’s time may have come to a premature end, but his story is far from finished. And in that, we are reminded of a truth that has echoed through the ages: great men, though cast down, will rise again.
Claire Bullivant
Unleashed, by Boris Johnson (William Collins, £30), to be published on October 10. To order a copy for £25.50 (offer valid until October 12, 2024; UK P&P free on orders over £25) go to mailshop.co.uk/books
Boris is not a Conservative nor an English man but a mass immigration loving closet Liberal immigrant who was born in New York city to a French father (Stanley Johnson declared “I am French. My mother was born in France, her mother was entirely French, and her grandfather too” in May 2023 when he became a citoyen of the Republique) and the grandson of the Ottoman Muslim Ali Kemal.