boris johnson speech

Boris Johnson's resignation speech in full: 'Darwinian' politics, a Westminster 'herd instinct' and a warning to colleagues

The prime minister made clear his reluctance to leave office, touching on personal highlights of his time in office as well as making a vow to the people of Ukraine.

Foreign news reporter @MikeRDrummond

Thursday 7 July 2022 17:54, UK

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As he stood outside Number 10 and resigned as prime minister, Boris Johnson spoke of the herd instinct in parliament, the 'Darwinian' system that will produce the next leader... and warned colleagues that 'no one is remotely indispensable'.

Here's his resignation speech in full:

Politics Hub: Reaction to Johnson's 'painful' resignation statement - follow live

"Good afternoon everybody.

"It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister, and I've agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.

"And I've today appointed a cabinet to serve as I will until the new leader is in place.

"So I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting conservative for the first time: thank you for that incredible mandate.

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"The biggest conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979.

"And the reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019.

"And of course, I'm immensely proud of the achievements of this government from getting Brexit done to settling our relations with the continent for over half a century, reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in parliament, getting us all through the pandemic, delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, the fastest exit from lockdown, and in the last few months leading the West in standing up to Putin's aggression in Ukraine."

A vow to the people of Ukraine

"And let me say now to the people of Ukraine that I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes.

"And at the same time, in this country, we have been pushing forward a vast programme of investment in infrastructure, in skills and technology, the biggest in a century.

"Because if I have one insight into human beings it is the genius and talent and enthusiasm and imagination are evenly distributed throughout the population, but opportunity is not.

"And that's why we must keep levelling up, keep unleashing the potential of every part of the United Kingdom. And if we can do that in this country, we will be the most prosperous in Europe.

"In the last few days, I've tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we're delivering so much and when we have such a vast mandate and when we're actually only a handful of points behind in the polls.

"Even in mid-term after quite a few months of pretty relentless sledging and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally.

"And I regret not to have been successful in those arguments and of course it's painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself."

A 'Darwinian' system and 'herd instinct'

"But as we've seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves.

"And my friends in politics, no one is remotely indispensable and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times, not just helping families to get through it, but changing and improving the way we do things.

"Cutting burdens on businesses and families and, yes, cutting taxes because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services.

"And to that new leader, I say whoever he or she may be, I say I will give you as much support as I can.

"And to you, the British public, I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed and I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world.

"But them's the breaks. I want to thank Carrie and our children and all members of my family who have had to put up with so much for so long."

A message to the British public

"I want to thank the peerless British civil service for all the help and support that you have given our police, our emergency services and of course, our fantastic NHS, who at a critical moment helped to extend my own period in office, as well as our armed services and our agencies that is so admired around the world, and our indefatigable Conservative Party members and supporters whose selfless campaigning makes our democracy possible.

"I want to thank the wonderful staff here at Number 10 and of course at Chequers and our fantastic detectives. The one group, by the way, who never leak.

"Above all I want to thank you, the British public, for the immense privilege that you have given me.

"And I want you to know that from now on until the new prime minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on.

"Being prime minister is an education in itself.

"I've travelled to every part of the United Kingdom and in addition to the beauty of our natural world, I found so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways that I know that even if things can sometimes seem dark now, our future together is golden.

"Thank you all very much. Thank you."

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Boris Johnson's final speech as Prime Minister: 6 September 2022

Boris Johnson gave his final speech as Prime Minister on the steps of Downing Street.

Boris Johnson’s final speech as Prime Minister

Well this is it folks

thanks to all of you for coming out so early this morning

In only a couple of hours from now I will be in Balmoral to see Her Majesty The Queen

and the torch will finally be passed to a new Conservative leader

the baton will be handed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race

they changed the rules half-way through but never mind that now

and through that lacquered black door a new Prime Minister will shortly go to meet a fantastic group of public servants

the people who got Brexit done

the people who delivered the fastest vaccine roll out in Europe

and never forget - 70 per cent of the entire population got a dose within 6 months, faster than any comparable country

that is government for you – that’s this conservative government

the people who organised those prompt early supplies of weapons to the heroic Ukrainian armed forces,

an action that may very well have helped change the course of the biggest European war for 80 years

And because of the speed and urgency of what you did – everybody involved in this government

to get this economy moving again from July last year in spite of all opposition, all the naysayers

we have and will continue to have that economic strength

to give people the cash they need to get through this energy crisis that has been caused by Putin’s vicious war

And  I know that Liz Truss and this compassionate Conservative government will do everything we can to get people through this crisis

And this country will endure it and we will win

and if Putin thinks that he can succeed by blackmailing or bullying the British people then he is utterly deluded

and the reason we will have those funds now and in the future is because we Conservatives understand the vital symmetry between government action

and free market capitalist private sector enterprise

we are delivering on those huge manifesto commitments

making streets safer – neighbourhood crime down 38 per cent in the last three years

13,790 more police on the streets

building more hospitals – and yes we will have 50,000 more nurses by the end of this parliament and 40 more hospitals by the end of the decade

putting record funding into our schools and into teachers’ pay

giving everyone over 18 a lifetime skills guarantee so they can keep upskilling throughout their lives

3 new high speed rail lines including northern powerhouse rail

colossal road programmes from the Pennines to Cornwall,

the roll-out of gigabit broadband up over the last three years, since you were kind enough to elect me, up from 7 per cent of our country’s premises having gigabit broadband to 70 per cent today.

And we are of course providing the short and the long term solutions for our energy needs

and not just using more of our own domestic hydrocarbons but going up by 2030 to 50 GW of wind power, that is half this country’s energy electricity needs from offshore wind

alone, a new nuclear reactor every year

and looking at what is happening in this country, the changes that are taking place,

that is why the private sector is investing more venture capital investment than China itself

more billion pound tech companies sprouting here than in France, Germany and Israel combined

and as a result unemployment as I leave office, down to lows not seen since I was about ten years old and bouncing around on a space hopper

and on the subject of bouncing around and future careers

let me say that I am now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function

and I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the pacific

And like Cincinnatus I am returning to my plough

and I will be offering this government nothing but the most fervent support

this is a tough time for the economy

this is a tough time for families up and down the country

we can and we will get through it and we will come out stronger the other side but I say to my fellow Conservatives it is time for the politics to be over folks

and it’s time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her programme

and deliver for the people of this country

because that is what the people of this country want, that’s what they need and that’s what they deserve

I am proud to have discharged the promises I made my party when you were kind enough to choose me,

winning the biggest majority since 1987 and the biggest share of the vote since 1979.

delivering Brexit

delivering our manifesto commitments – including social care

helping people up and down the country

ensuring that Britain is once again standing tall in the world

speaking with clarity and authority

from Ukraine to the AUKUS pact with America and Australia

because we are one whole and entire United Kingdom whose diplomats, security services and armed forces are so globally admired

and as I leave I believe our union is so strong that those who want to break it up, will keep trying but they will never ever succeed

thank you to everyone behind me in this building for looking after me and my family over the last three years so well including Dilyn, the dog

and if Dilyn and Larry can put behind them their occasional difficulties, then so can the Conservative party

and above all thanks to you, the British people, to the voters for giving me the chance to serve

all of you who worked so tirelessly together to beat covid to put us where we are today

Together we have laid foundations that will stand the test of time

whether by taking back control of our laws or putting in vital new infrastructure

great solid masonry on which we will continue to build together

paving the path of prosperity now & for future generations

and I will be supporting Liz Truss and our new government every step of the way.

Thank you all very much.

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