“So long, baby”, was the phrase with which Boris Johnson said goodbye to the British Parliament on Wednesday after his last question session as prime minister, citing the character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the iconic sci-fi movie Terminator.
“Mission amply accomplished”, considered the prime minister when 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 they were elected for in 2019.”
“These last few years have been the greatest privilege of my life,” added Johnson, 58, who On July 7, he announced his resignation after losing the support of his Conservative Party in a context of multiple scandals that sank his popularity.
Between the applause of the conservatives and the boos of the opposition, he concluded with the phrase “Hasta la vista, baby!”, repeating the famous phrase pronounced by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie “Terminator 2”.
who will succeed
Johnson’s successor will be announced on September 5, at the end of the parliamentary recess that begins on Friday. Former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and current Foreign Minister Liz Truss will compete in an internal election to determine who becomes Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party, after Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was eliminated this Wednesday.
In the fifth and final round of voting by Conservative MPs, Sunak received the support of 137 of her Conservative colleagues and Truss 113 votes, while Mordaunt withdrew after being backed by 105 MPs.
The two finalists now have more than a month to campaign to convince the 160,000 Conservative Party members who will have to decide between the two candidates before the winner is announced in September.
The day after the appointment of the new leader, Johnson will present his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II in a brief act at Buckingham Palace and then she will invest his successor or successor.