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 explored his political spirit and approach. In the second part of our narrative about the recent political developments in the UK, we will delve into specific aspects of the current situation’s formation and Boris Johnson’s influence on his country’s politics.
We believe that discussing Boris Johnson’s politics and what he has done in the UK helps both to understand certain aspects of modern Anglo-Saxon politics and to better recognize the path ahead for British politics. The UK is one of the most important players in international politics, and the developments in this country have influenced and continue to influence Iranian politics.
In recent years, Boris alone has demonstrated multiple times the significance of this influence on Iranian politics. What has transpired in the UK in recent years involves policies that have had a serious impact on this country and the European continent. With the new cabinet in this country, which prominently features 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 writing, we will address the dimensions of Boris’s domestic politics to examine his dominance over the UK’s internal politics.
Brexit and Stability in Instability
Boris Johnson was the unparalleled actor in the Brexit drama. The initial waves of enthusiasm and determination for the UK to leave the European Union were initiated by figures like Nigel Farage with xenophobia and scaring specific classes of British society about immigrants. All the figures who, within the Conservative Party and outside it, with political pressures and inciting conservatives in society, eventually forced David Cameron to announce a referendum on EU membership, did not have the same fame and social influence as Boris Johnson.
It was Boris who, with his cunning and surprising entry into the referendum campaigns with 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 over, and with the determination to overthrow Cameron and reach his position, entered the scene in favor of Brexit.
Boris fell short in succeeding Cameron and had to settle for the Foreign Ministry. Nevertheless, it was Boris and his Brexit allies who, with staunch resistance against Theresa May’s plans, effectively incapacitated her, and ultimately, in a situation where Boris had been ousted from the ministry due to his catastrophic mistakes and gaffes, Theresa May was forced to step down.
A society divided in the wake of the Brexit referendum watched the battle of parties and factions within parties over Brexit, suddenly faced with the Conservative Party leadership campaign and Theresa May’s succession. Boris’s victory was so natural for many that the continuation of finalizing the UK’s exit from the EU happened more smoothly and easily than anticipated. Boris gradually turned Brexit into a reality.
The process of economic and social damages resulting from Brexit, which are undeniable, has also become one of the dimensions of British life. Boris’s foremost and ultimate pride in these years is showcasing 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 in the guise of Britain’s independence from the European judicial system. Key figures in the Truss cabinet are also soldiers of the Brexit battle in Boris’s circle. This is Boris’s Brexit cabinet.
Boris’s New Economy
Boris Johnson, with his end-of-2019 election campaign and the defeat of the Labour Party, achieved one of the highest vote counts and majorities in the House of Commons in decades. Defeating a not-so-capable politician like Jeremy Corbyn was neither difficult nor challenging.
However, what Boris did by transforming his party’s politics in the months following his prime ministership, finalizing the EU exit, and announcing early elections was essentially the start of a new conservative era based on abandoning the long-standing approach of austerity in social and economic spending. Boris offered election promises of lavish spending and the initiation of massive projects and the distribution of abundant credits, promises rarely made by conservatives.
He has been and continues to be one of the fervent activists against climate change, changing conservatives’ approach to this issue. He is one of the few politicians in his party who has been as active, if not more so, than many of his rival politicians regarding clean energy, global warming, and climate change, conducting interviews and implementing programs.
An economy based on combating 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 financial contributions from oil companies. The new UK cabinet is in a specific situation created by Boris.
Liz Truss is forced to follow Boris’s commitments regarding climate change while also addressing 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 following, 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 assist less developed areas, especially in northern England.
These regions were centers that Boris captured for the conservatives in 2019 and imposed surprising defeats on the Labour Party. Conservatives need to lavish funds in these areas to maintain support for the newly conquered strongholds. Apart from that, Boris Johnson himself is popular in these regions, and Truss needs him for electoral victory in these areas. It is unlikely that Boris will not be an important figure in upcoming election campaigns.
Boris’s New Conservatism
Boris Johnson’s colorful and balanced cabinet among British and global conservatives has been unparalleled. From his time as mayor, 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 occupied high and mid-level positions unprecedentedly. The current cabinet mirrors Boris’s will. The top three positions in the UK are held by people of color, and with his direct support, he has once again placed a woman at the helm of the country’s administration. This is Boris’s cabinet.