Anthony Seldon: ‘Boris Johnson didn’t read his documents’

Nine months after leaving Downing Street, Boris Johnson continues to haunt British political life. Three chaotic years in office, as noted historian Anthony Selden, an expert on prime ministers, recounts in an uncompromising book (10 Johnson in The Inside Story, with Raymond Newell), which caused quite a stir across the channel. Will this enigmatic man’s career, filled with hilarious rallies, brilliant political intuition and embarrassing lies, leave a bitter taste at first? Interview.

LExpress: For you, the key event in Boris Johnson’s career is Brexit. Why ?

Anthony Seldon: The United Kingdom would have remained in the European Union if it had not joined the Brexit camp. Former London Mayor Boris Johnson was considered a reliable politician. There is no suggestion that he believed in Brexit. All he believed in was his career. He refused to choose for a long time, before choosing to leave the European Union. Then, as prime minister, he also played a role in the war in Ukraine, establishing a strong personal relationship with Volodymyr Zelensky.

The pandemic was also a defining crisis of its passage to Downing Street

Boris Johnson is very liberal, opposes state intrusion into people’s lives, very liberal, and he doesn’t like moral judgments. Intuitively, he is against imprisonment. But scientists told him that it was necessary. It was torture for him. He did not understand scientific data, could not stick to a single line of conduct. Every prime minister’s mandate is defined by a major crisis. He was unlucky, unlike Gordon Brown for example [NDLR : Premier ministre de 2007 2010], who, despite being competent in economics, found himself facing a financial crisis. Johnson knew neither epidemiology nor science, even though he favored vaccination.

Was he really a bad prime minister?

He was a very bad prime minister. Supporters of remaining in the EU accused him of having chosen to leave; Supporters of Brexit, because it does not benefit. He should have done better. It hasn’t prepared the country for rising prices, rising NHS waiting lists [NDLR : le National Health Service, systme de sant publique au Royaume-Uni], He took everything lightly, lacked compassion for people, didn’t read their documents. and he had a dislike for parliament, the civil service, the BBC, the universities, the French president

According to you, Boris Johnson least of all listened to the citizens who felt ostracized by the metropolis’s elite

He could defend those who feel left outEstablishment Ace of the Metropolitans of the South-East of England. The problem was that he himself was from the metropolis of South-East England, White, a former mayor. He lacked authenticity.

Is a Downing Street return possible?

No, Boris Johnson can’t come back. His image was tarnished, as he never explicitly defended any cause. He could say what he opposed, but not what he supported. People liked him because he was charismatic and funny. Look at the opinion polls: of course he’s not popular anymore! He was abandoned by his own party. Johnson lacked credibility, and that’s a shame because he had some of the qualities needed to be prime minister: charisma, charm, persuasion, humour, people enjoyed his company. Sage Sunak, who lacks his charisma, inherits a degenerate position.