Boris Johnson stepped down as leader of Britain’s Conservative Party after three years leading the U.K. government. His tenure has had many challenges, including negotiating Brexit, leading the country through COVID-19, and supporting the war in Ukraine. But he’s also had his fair share of scandals. Plus, learn “go after.”
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Transcript
It was a wild ride, but the Boris Johnson era in Britain is approaching an end
Lesson summary
Hi there everyone, I’m Jeff and this is Plain English lesson number 489. Here at Plain English, we help you upgrade your English with current events and trending topics. If you’re just listening on a podcast app, welcome—but I recommend you also check out the website, where we have a full accompanying lesson. That is posted at PlainEnglish.com/489, courtesy of JR, our producer.
Coming up today: “No one is remotely indispensable.” With those words, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned after a rollercoaster three years leading the U.K. government. We’ll trace the rise and fall of this larger-than-life figure.
In the second half of the lesson, I’ll show you what it means to “go after” something. And here’s a hint: it’s not about what goes first and what goes second. “Go after” in this sense means something different. JR also has a song of the week; you might recognize it. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started.
End of a tumultuous era in British politics
Boris Johnson is a larger-than-life figure in British politics. His rumpled look, mop of blond hair, and flair for the dramatic have been a fixture in England for decades. Early in his career, he was a journalist—and was once fired for making up a quote—before turning to Parliament. He served two terms in the early 2000s.
He was mayor of London for eight years and then returned to Parliament in 2015. That’s when he threw himself into the biggest question of a generation: whether Britain should leave the EU. He loudly declared himself in favor of leaving and led the charge for Brexit. After Britain’s stunning vote to leave, Johnson was appointed foreign minister. He eventually rose to prime minister in 2019 on a promise to “get Brexit done.”
He led his party to a convincing majority in general elections; got “Brexit done” as he promised; navigated COVID-19; supported the war in Ukraine; survived scandal after scandal; and then was toppled this month by a wave of resignations.
His personal life during this time was no less tumultuous. Just in the time he was prime minister—three years—he got married, had two children, and caught COVID-19, for which he was put on a ventilator.
Let’s take a breath and reflect on the legacy he leaves after this rollercoaster ride at the top of British politics. When he took office, his predecessor, Theresa May, had been unsuccessful in negotiating the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU. Johnson did get it done and avoided the doomsday scenario that many had feared.
Apart from Brexit, he leaves office with three major accomplishments to his name. He was an early champion of vaccine development; Britain was one of the first countries to inoculate its citizens against COVID-19. He has coordinated material and financial support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion. And he won his party a thumping majority in the 2019 general election.
However, his legacy is likely to be the way he governed. As prime minister, as in his campaign for Brexit, he promised everyone they could have all they want. He refused to do the essential work of politics, which is to make choices among competing priorities.
In Brexit, for example, many “Leavers” wanted to close the economy off from Europe and the outside world. Others wanted the opposite, to throw open the economy to the freest trade possible. Both supported Brexit for opposite reasons: Johnson promised both camps they’d be happy with the final result. It was impossible.
In government, he made a deft decision to go after voters who felt left behind in the small towns of northern England. He promised to “level up” those regions with new investment and won a large majority with their support. But he didn’t bother say where the investment would come from, he didn’t detail how the investment would raise those towns’ prospects, and he didn’t square his promises with another wing of his party that wanted much lower taxes and lower spending.
Instead , he relied on his own charms and political skill to get him out of these internal contradictions. And for years it worked. He weaseled out of contradictions, went back on promises, broke agreements, and somehow survived it all. He seemed to have an unlimited number of political lives.
On top of all that , there were the scandals—what they call “sleaze” in the UK. Upon taking office, a party donor paid 200,000 pounds to refurbish the prime minister’s residence, a violation of election laws. He supported an obviously corrupt Member of Parliament.
And then there were the parties, one after another during the coronavirus lockdown. As details emerged, his story changed constantly: first he didn’t know about the parties; then he knew about them but he wasn’t there; then he was there, but wasn’t drinking; then he was drinking, but didn’t know it was against the rules. Then he apologized and was fined.
If anything could topple his premiership, it seemed like it would be the parties. Fighting scandals and responding to allegations took up all the energy of his government. But he managed another Houdini act and just barely survived. Some hoped he had been scared straight from his brush with political death.
But just weeks later, another scandal emerged. He appointed someone to his government with a history of sexual harassment; that person was most recently accused of groping two guests at a dinner party. This Member of Parliament, Chris Pincher—his real name—had faced similar allegations in the past; he denies misconduct.
Boris Johnson initially denied that he knew about the past allegations when he appointed Pincher to his position. Then Johnson said he knew about the allegations, but that they weren’t serious. Then, it emerged that they were serious and did result in disciplinary action years ago. Then Johnson admitted he had been briefed about it at the time; he said he simply forgot. He finally apologized.
This was too much even for his most loyal ministers, who said he was no longer fit to govern. Minutes after Johnson apologized for this latest scandal, the finance and health ministers resigned their posts. Over the next days , dozens of other ministers would resign from the government—about a third of all appointed posts stood vacant, paralyzing the government. Two ministers resigned just 36 hours after they were appointed. So many ministers quit that the BBC kept a ticking counter of resignations on the bottom of its screen.
Even in resignation, Johnson attempted another escape act. He said he would resign, but would still lead the government until October, when a new leader of the Conservative party could be selected.
A new journalistic format
In researching this lesson, I discovered a new style of journalism being practice in the U.K. It’s a timeline. And these are common. They go something like this. There’s a description of a scandal at the beginning. And then there’s a heading for each day for like a week or two, where they trace the arc of the prime minister’s story from denial to apology. And day by day, heading by heading, you can see the story changing.
On one of our live calls with Plain English Plus+ members, someone asked about Al Gore, our former vice president. And I casually mentioned that Al Gore never could get over the sense that he was boring. And I realized when I was saying that, that the world could really use a few boring leaders right now, Britain especially.
¿Hablas español?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into Spanish. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .
How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
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你说中国话？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parlez-vous français?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Você fala português?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
日本語は話せますか？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parli italiano?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sen Türkçe konuşmayı biliyor musun?
The transcripts of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Turkish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Mówisz po polsku?
The transcript of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Polish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Audio
The fast version of this lesson is available for subscribers of Plain English Plus+.