Boris Johnson said goodbye to the British Parliament on Wednesday after his last question session as prime minister, defending his career and launching a “goodbye, baby!” between the applause of the conservatives and the boos of the opposition.
“Mission amply accomplished,” assured the Prime Minister, taking stock of his three years in office. And he stated that he will spend the next few weeks “doing what he believes the citizens expect him to do: advance the issues we were elected for in 2019.”
“These last few years have been the greatest privilege of my life,” added Johnson, 58, who announced his resignation on July 7 after losing the support of his Conservative Party in a context of multiple scandals that weighed on his popularity.
He concluded by saying: “Hasta la vista, baby!”, in Spanish, to the applause of his bench, repeating the famous phrase pronounced by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie “Terminator 2” (in the dubbing in Spain the phrase is Sayonara, baby ).
Johnson’s successor will be announced on September 5, at the end of the parliamentary recess that begins on Friday.
Opposition Leader Labor Keir Starmer questioned him about the ongoing campaign within his party to replace him as leader and tenant of Downing Street, including the cancellation of a televised debate between the candidates on Tuesday.
“Well, I don’t follow the issue with special attention,” joked Johnson, to the laughter of the deputies.
But he took the opportunity to give “some advice” to whoever succeeds him as prime minister: “Stay close to the Americans, support the Ukrainians, fight for freedom and democracy everywhere; lower taxes and deregulate where you can to make this country the best place to live and invest”.
Boris Johnson’s succession is already a matter of two. Former Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are the finalists in the race for the Conservative leadership. The announcement came hours after Johnson himself said goodbye in Parliament.
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