Boris Johnson is the condemned man who refuses to die. For seven months, hardly without a week’s intermission, he has blustered his way through a series of scandals and pratfalls that would have toppled most titans of post-war British politics. To the intense irritation of his foes and rivals, he refused to accept the political death sentence.
By tea time on Tuesday, the almost simultaneous resignation of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, however, looked like the end at last for the U.K.’s mercurial prime minister. A slew of junior ministers followed in their wake. At furious speed, No. 10 cobbled together untested replacements. The sound of barrels being scraped resounded around Westminster.
This time, his premiership seems fatally wounded. How long the demise takes will determine the possible outcome of the U.K.’s next election and the future of his party.
