Boris Johnson is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
In the previous narrative about Boris Johnson and the end of his tenure leading the UK cabinet, we discussed Boris’s spirit and political approach. In the second part of our narrative about recent political developments in the UK, we will address specific aspects of the current situation’s formation and Boris Johnson’s overshadowing of his country’s politics.
We believe that discussing Boris Johnson’s political maneuvers and what he has done in the UK helps both in understanding certain aspects of modern Anglo-Saxon politics and in better recognizing the path ahead for British politics. The UK is one of the most important players in international politics, and its developments have influenced and continue to influence Iranian politics.
Boris alone, in recent years, has repeatedly demonstrated the significance of this influence on Iranian politics. What has transpired in the UK in recent years are policies that have had a serious impact on this country and the continent of Europe. With the new cabinet of this country, which is largely composed of Boris Johnson’s loyalists, it is Boris’s concepts and approaches that are steering the UK.
Why is Boris still the Prime Minister of the UK? In this article, we will delve into the dimensions of Boris’s domestic politics to examine his dominance over the UK’s domestic politics.
Brexit and Stability in Instability
Boris Johnson was the unparalleled actor in the Brexit drama. The initial waves of excitement and determination to exit the European Union were initiated by figures like Nigel Farage through xenophobia and scaring specific classes of British society about immigrants. All the figures within and outside the Conservative Party, through political pressure and inciting conservatives in society, ultimately forced David Cameron to call for a referendum on EU membership, but none had the fame and social influence of Boris Johnson.
It was Boris who, with his cunning and surprising entry into the referendum campaigns and his enthusiastic support for Brexit, turned the tide in favor of leaving and against David Cameron’s wishes. He prepared two separate texts for publication, thought it through, and with the determination to topple Cameron and reach his position, he entered the scene in favor of Brexit.
Boris fell short in succeeding Cameron and had to settle for the Foreign Office. Nevertheless, it was Boris and his Brexit allies who, by staunchly resisting Theresa May’s plans, effectively incapacitated her. Ultimately, in a situation where Boris was removed from the ministry due to his catastrophic mistakes and blunders, Theresa May was forced to step down.
A society split in two in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum was witnessing the battle of parties and factions within parties over Brexit. Suddenly, it faced the Conservative Party leadership campaign and Theresa May’s succession. Boris’s victory was so natural for many that the continuation of the path to finalize the UK’s exit from the EU happened more easily and smoothly than anticipated. Gradually, Boris turned Brexit into a reality.
The process of economic and social damages resulting from Brexit, which are beyond doubt, has become one of the facets of British life. Boris’s ultimate pride over the years has been flaunting his success in taking his country out of the EU, even if it has put Scotland at risk of another independence referendum and Northern Ireland on the brink of tension and violence.
Liz Truss’s government is Boris Johnson’s Brexit government. Liz Truss will use all her capabilities for extreme immigration policies under the guise of Britain’s independence from the European judicial system. Key figures in Truss’s cabinet are also soldiers of the Brexit battle in Boris’s circle. This is Boris’s Brexit cabinet.
Boris’s New Economy
With his end-of-year 2019 election campaign and crushing the Labour Party, Boris Johnson achieved one of the highest vote shares and Commons majorities in decades. Defeating a not-so-capable politician like Jeremy Corbyn was not and is not a difficult task.
However, what Boris did by transforming his party’s politics in the months following his premiership, finalizing the exit from the EU, and calling for early elections was essentially the start of a new conservative era based on abandoning the longstanding approach of austerity in social and economic spending. Boris offered election promises of lavish spending and initiating massive projects and distributing ample credits, promises rarely made by conservatives.
He, who has been and remains a fervent activist in the fight against climate change, changed the Conservatives’ approach on this issue and is one of the few politicians in this party who has been as active, if not more than many of his rival politicians, in clean energy, global warming, and climate change. He has given interviews and implemented programs.
The economy based on fighting climate change and expanding clean energy is, of course, not something Boris has fully pursued as a conservative, because naturally, he does not have his party’s support on this matter. His party, like other conservatives worldwide, is interested in oil and gas and indebted to the financial support of oil companies. The new British cabinet is in a unique situation that Boris has created.
Liz Truss is forced to follow Boris’s commitments regarding the fight against climate change and, in these circumstances, address the real demands of Truss and her allies to increase the benefits of British oil companies.
Boris’s New Society
With his December 2019 election campaign and his slogans and programs in the period thereafter, Boris seriously announced and pursued the approach of creating balance, prosperity, and benefit among different regions. He even established a ministry to create balance and aid less developed areas, particularly in northern England.
These regions were centers that Boris captured for the Conservatives in 2019, imposing surprising defeats on the Labour Party. Conservatives need to spend lavishly in these areas to maintain support for the newly captured strongholds. Apart from that, Boris Johnson himself is popular in these areas, and Truss needs him for electoral victory in these regions. It is unlikely that Boris will not be a key figure in future election campaigns.
Boris’s New Conservatism
Boris Johnson’s colorful and balanced cabinet was unparalleled among British and global conservatives. From his mayoral days, he attracted racial minorities into his administrative structure and significantly increased racial balance in the cabinet. Boris appointed the first Chancellor of the Exchequer of Indian origin, which was a historic event.
Women were seriously considered in the allocation of positions, and people of color and minorities unprecedentedly occupied high and middle positions. The current cabinet reflects Boris’s will. The top three positions in the UK are held by people of color, and he, with his direct support, has once again placed a woman at the head of the country’s administration. This is Boris’s cabinet.