Johnson didn’t ‘have a mandate’, the Conservative Party of which he was leader had the mandate to govern. Being ousted as leader didn’t invalidate the election result any more than it did when Cameron quit or Blair handed over to Brown. This is not a presidential system. You vote for a party not an individual. If a prime minister dies, becomes incapacitated or too ill to continue we don’t have an election then. It happened with Eden and (though not publicised at the time) Wilson.Just because the new person decides to change direction doesn’t make any difference. If May had decided to ignore the referendum in 2016 (which would have delighted many on this forum) then she had every right to do so. It might have upset those who voted leave but then they would have had the opportunity to remove her from power at the next general election.Governments change tack all the time, usually in response to a major crisis. We all know about that. But often it’s because a particular policy proves untenable to the public, like the Poll Tax that ultimately brought down Thatcher.Johnson has always been a slacker and a selfish one to boot. He was a dreadful Mayor, as was Livingstone before him (another egotist, who thought he ‘embodied’ London) and Khan subsequently. It would be a disaster for the country if he was to return, but a gift horse for Labour, which would please the lefties here.
Simon Hayes ● 1430d