The life of Bojo; one year on from stepping down as Prime Minister, how has Boris Johnson occupied his time?

But 12 months ago today, the former leader of the Conservative Party stepped down, leading to the very truncated reign of Liz Truss and an economy getting sunk and finally some normality with “Dishy” Rishi Sunak. But try as the political sphere might, Boris’s legacy still remains with his ardent supporters (some of which on his resignation honours list), while others may call it a stench. May, we are careful at PeopleWorld to state.

It all started innocently enough; Johnson returning to the ranks of a backbencher MP and continuing to act on behalf of his constituency of Uxbrdige and South Ruislip, adapting to his new role within the House of Commons. He was also part of King Charles III’s “Accession Council” after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, providing a chance for him to pay his respects to the late monarch. Along with his wife Carrie, Johnson attended the State Funeral along with other former prime ministers including Sir John Major and Tony Blair.

However, it was the admission after Liz Truss’ ill-fated run at Number 10 that started to elicit some controversy within the party and the public as a whole. Johnson expressed a desire to run in the most recent leadership election, with support coming from his fiercest supporters once again, including Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg. There was a very strong contingent however against his potential run in the election, partly because of the manner in which Johnson was effectively forced to step down with the ongoing “Partygate” inquiry, partly because he also did not have enough support from backbenchers to “govern effectively.”

The start of 2023 became particularly acrimonious for Johnson; the continued investigation by the Commons Privileges Committee into allegations of breaking the very same COVID-19 restrictions he espoused on television during the height of the pandemic and lockdowns, coupled with a public opinion poll that revealed the majority of voters did not want him to see him return to Number 10.

2023; annus horribilis for Boris so far 

The Privileges Committee investigation into “Partygate” was also coupled with rumours that the former PM may have lied to Parliament regarding a subsidy received from a Conservative Party donor for a home in West London. A Daily Mirror report claimed that Johnson has been residing at the property in Knightsbridge “around the corner from Harrods” owned by Lady Carole Bamford, the wife of JCB tycoon Lord Bamford.

In his entry in the Register of Members Interest, Mr Johnson has declared the “concessionary use of accommodation for me and my family” provided by Lady Carole worth an estimated £10,000 a month for three months since the beginning of September. This came alongside the controversy surrounding then BBC Chairman Richard Sharp in April 2023, after allegations Sharp had helped Johnson secure a bank loan while he was Prime Minister, demonstrating a conflict of interest between one of the Beeb’s higher ups and the government.

As tensions flared in the lead up to the release of the finding from the Privileges Committee surrounding “Partygate,” Johnson decided to stop relying on the legal advice from government lawyers and instead sought to gain independent legal guidance in an attempt to address all the allegations against him. However, upon the day of the report dropping, moments before its publication, Johnson stepped down as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

In his resignation letter, Johnson vehemently denied all the allegations that the report would about to shed light on, and criticised both the committee and the head of the inquiry, Harriet Harman, stating that the report was riddled with bias and suggested the motive behind the damning conclusions was due to his successful negotiations “getting Brexit done.” Naturally, it led to comparisons to another world leader who would not admit any wronging - one Donald J Trump.

Nonetheless, the report was damning; the committee reached the conclusion that Boris Johnson wilfully lied to parliament and the public regarding his involvement in gatherings that broke COVID-19 protocols during the height of the pandemic, that he and his “cronies” showed contempt to the committee itself and had he not have resigned, would have been suspended from parliament and denied his parliamentary pass. 

Though he had his supporters state anyone who voted for the report should be ejected from the Conservative Party (hat tip; Nadine Dorries), Johnson was said to have asked that for the sake of harmony in the party not to contest the results of the report. Ultimately, the report was voted for, despite Tory whips granting MP’s permission to be elsewhere during the vote (rather than abstain, itself seen as an admission of guilt.)

New job, same old BoJo

It would be full circle in the end for BoJo; he came from a journalistic background and he has now returned to where he first made his name. Johnson was unveiled not shortly after the release of the report as a brand new columnist for the Daily Mail, a role he has taken to with great gusto once again. However, his appointment only rattled the hornet's nest that was finally settling down.

The appointment stirred discussions regarding potential conflicts of interest and raised questions about breaches of anti-corruption rules, with The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments ruled that Johnson had committed a clear breach, highlighting the need for reform of the ministerial code.

We’re only just past the halfway mark for 2023; a betting person would probably put good money on Boris Johnson getting embroiled in some controversy in his new role or his spectre in the House of Commons before the end of the year. May even twice before the year is out.