Boris Johnson has broken records to become the worst performing prime minister in British history after an eventful day that saw him lose his first three votes in parliament, lose control of legislative proceedings, and turn a working majority of one into an unstable minority of -43.
A man who Tories hoped could lead them out of the Brexit impasse and towards a future majority has spectacularly failed to “take back control”, losing his majority when MP Phillip Lee defected to the Lib Dems during Johnson’s speech in the commons.
After Parliament wrestled control of the legislative agenda from an increasingly powerless PM in order to pass a bill to prevent a no-deal crash out of the European Union, Johnson followed through on his threat to withdraw the whip from Tory rebels, forcing many well-known MPs including Father of the House Ken Clarke, former Chancellor Philip Hammond, and grandson of Winston Churchill Nicholas Soames from the party they have represented for most of their lives.
In an effort to bully politicians to bend to his will, Johnson has purged the moderates from the Conservative Party and left himself with no majority, no influence, and so little trust from MPs that no-one will support his calls for a general election as they believe he will lie to them and change the date to force a no-deal exit from the EU when parliament is dissolved for the vote. Instead, Johnson is left to shout with impotent rage, knowing that his succession of failures have left him with so little power he cannot even choose the time of his own political death.
