Premiership of Boris Johnson

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Official portrait, 2019
Premiership of Boris Johnson 24 July 2019 – 6 September 2022
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Cabinet	First Johnson ministry Second Johnson ministry
Party	Conservative
Election	2019
Seat	10 Downing Street
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Coat of Arms of HM Government

This article is part of a series about Boris Johnson
Political positions Electoral history Public image MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP for Henley Editor of The Spectator Mayor of London Mayoralty 2008 mayoral election London Britannia Airport Santander Cycles New Routemaster 2011 riots 2012 mayoral election London Cable Car 2012 Summer Olympics 2012 Summer Paralympics Garden Bridge European Union referendum Brexit causes Vote Leave EU referendum aftermath 2016 leadership election Foreign Secretary Foreign Office under Boris Johnson Yemen intervention Zaghari-Ratcliffe case 2018 Salisbury attack Chequers plan Party leadership campaigns 2019 election polling endorsements reactions Darroch resignation 2022 explored candidacy endorsements Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Premiership International trips Minister for the Union First ministry and term First ministry Suspension of rebel MPs Brexit Benn Act 2019 prorogation Supreme Court case Brexit deal renegotiation revised deal 2019 general election Get Brexit Done Second ministry and term Second ministry departures 2020 reshuffle 2021 reshuffle EU Withdrawal Agreement Northern Ireland Protocol EU trade negotiation cooperation agreement COVID-19 pandemic government response lockdown vaccinations contracts contract controversies Dominic Cummings scandal Partygate Death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Evacuations from Afghanistan Levelling up COP26 Refurb controversy Owen Paterson scandal Rwanda asylum plan Proposed NI increase Russian invasion of Ukraine economic impact British aid to Ukraine Cost of living crisis Conservative Party confidence vote Chris Pincher scandal Government crisis July 2022 reshuffle leadership election House of Commons confidence vote Resignation Honours Post-premiership Privileges Committee investigation 2023 Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election Bibliography Friends, Voters, Countrymen Seventy-Two Virgins The Dream of Rome The Churchill Factor In popular culture When Boris Met Dave Brexit: The Uncivil War This England Boris Johnson Is a Fucking Cunt Boris Johnson Is Still a Fucking Cunt Boris: The Rise of Boris Johnson Boris v. Ken
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Boris Johnson's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 24 July 2019 when he accepted an invitation of Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, succeeding Theresa May, and ended on 6 September 2022 upon his resignation. As prime minister, Johnson served simultaneously as First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. He also served as Minister for the Union, a position created by him to be held by the prime minister. Johnson's premiership was dominated by Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the cost of living crisis. His tenure was also characterised by several political controversies and scandals, being viewed as the most scandalous premiership of modern times by historians and biographers.^[1]

Johnson defeated Jeremy Hunt in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election on 23 July 2019, and was appointed prime minister the following day. The political turmoil over Brexit, begun during May's premiership, continued into the early months of Johnson's premiership. This included a controversial prorogation by Johnson which was overturned by the Supreme Court and deemed unlawful. With insufficient parliamentary support for his Brexit plans, Johnson called the 2019 general election, in which he won a landslide victory, the party's largest seat share since the 1987 general election, and the biggest share of the vote since the 1979 general election; many of their gains were made in long-held Labour Party seats, dubbed the "red wall".^[2][3] The election result gave Johnson the mandate he sought from the electorate to formally implement the UK’s departure from the European Union on 31 January 2020, beginning an eleven-month transition period.

Less than two months after the 2019 general election, cases of COVID-19 had reached the UK, and Johnson himself was hospitalised with the disease in March 2020.^[4] The government responded to the pandemic by enacting emergency powers and widespread societal measures including several lockdowns, and approved a vaccination programme which began in December 2020.^[5] Reception for Johnson's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic was mixed.^[6] The media later reported that there had been social gatherings by the Conservative Party and government staff which contravened COVID-19 restrictions.^[7] Johnson was personally implicated, and he, his wife Carrie Johnson, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, were given fixed penalty notices by the police in April 2022, becoming the first prime minister to be sanctioned for a criminal action while in office.^[8] Public dissatisfaction over the events led to a decline in public support for Johnson, the government led by him, and the Conservative Party as a whole.^[9]

Johnson responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by imposing sanctions on Russia as well as providing Ukraine with over £10 billion in military aid as well as billions of pounds in economic and humanitarian aid.^[10] The publishing of the Sue Gray report in May 2022 and a widespread sense of dissatisfaction led in June 2022 to a vote of confidence in his leadership among Conservative MPs, which he won.^[11][12] In late June 2022, the Conservative MP Chris Pincher resigned as deputy chief government whip after an allegation was made that he had sexually assaulted two men.^[3] Johnson initially refused to suspend the whip from him, and his spokesperson said Johnson had not been aware of "specific allegations" against Pincher.^[13] On 4 July, Johnson's spokesperson said that Johnson was aware of allegations that were "either resolved or did not proceed to a formal complaint" at the time he appointed him.^[14] Several ministers resigned on 5 July, including Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid.^[15] Following dozens of government resignations, Johnson announced on 7 July his intention to resign. He remained in office until his resignation on 6 September. He was succeeded by foreign secretary Liz Truss.^[16][17] He remained in the House of Commons as a backbencher until 9 June 2023, when he received the draft of the Commons Privileges Committee investigation into his conduct that unanimously found that he had lied to the Commons on numerous occasions. Johnson resigned his position as MP the same day.

Johnson is seen by many as a controversial figure in British politics.^[18][19] His supporters have praised him for being humorous, witty, and entertaining,^[20] with an appeal reaching beyond traditional Conservative Party voters, making him, in their view, an electoral asset to the party.^[21][22] Conversely, his critics have accused him of lying, elitism, cronyism and bigotry.^[23][24][25] As prime minister, his supporters praised him for "getting Brexit done", overseeing the UK's COVID-19 vaccination programme, which was amongst the fastest in the world, and being one of the first world leaders to offer humanitarian support to Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country.^[26][27][28] His tenure also saw several controversies and scandals, and is viewed as the most scandalous premiership of modern times by historians and biographers alike.^[29] Johnson has commonly been described as a one-nation conservative, and political commentators have characterised his political style as opportunistic, populist and pragmatic.^[30][31][32]