Boris Johnson: Laura Kuenssberg on the facts, farce and his future

Let's commencement with immoderate facts.

Boris Johnson had to permission Downing Street past summertime due to the fact that a bulk of his Conservative colleagues thought helium was doing much harm than good.

Now a committee of MPs is acceptable to justice helium didn't archer the truth. That committee is made up chiefly of Tory MPs. The erstwhile PM has faced the aforesaid process arsenic different MPs that get into trouble. And portion Mr Johnson claims helium has been "forced out", retrieve helium has chosen to discontinue earlier we adjacent spot the achromatic and achromatic of their verdict.

It is besides a information determination are immoderate Conservatives who begrudge him his success. It is besides existent that during his past fewer months successful No 10 determination were interior enemies trying to unit him out.

But to formal that up arsenic a expansive conspiracy is, candidly, a stretch. One of those who knows him champion told maine his resignation announcement was "1,000 words that archer you everything astir Johnson's mindset - it's your responsibility not mine".

Rather than face what has happened oregon effort to support himself from the judgement that is coming, Boris Johnson made a governmental prime this week not to enactment and fight.

As ever, the enactment betwixt farce and calamity is skinny. While astir of the headlines screamed of the shock, the erstwhile premier minister's exit from Parliament is wholly connected brand.

The timing connected a Friday was unexpected, but nary surprise. He ne'er overmuch liked Parliament anyway, adjacent though helium managed to find a gong for the Commons' hairdresser.

The thought helium would savour being a humble backbencher asking questions astir currency for the section infirmary oregon appearing astatine schoolhouse fetes was for the birds. And if the Privileges Committee's findings are arsenic savage arsenic expected helium would person faced a by-election.

Clues from his way grounds archer america determination is small accidental helium would person fought if helium hadn't been definite helium could win. He pulled retired of the Tory enactment contention successful 2016 erstwhile Michael Gove's determination blew up his presumption arsenic front-runner.

He didn't tally successful 2022 contempt a dash backmost from the Caribbean and fevered claims that helium had capable support. One erstwhile furniture state says helium is "more calculating than radical deliberation and this volition person been a calculation - if helium thought helium would triumph the by-election helium would stay". To triumph and suffer does not lucifer marque Boris. To permission similar this perfectly does.

The powerfulness of his property - frankly his fame - means helium leaves down immoderate devastated colleagues and a strand of the nationalist who judge helium has been hard done by.

One erstwhile furniture curate says: "The enactment wounded itself erstwhile it defenestrated Boris and continues to bleed."

Some of his hard-core supporters near connected the backbenches accidental his exit is simply a bittersweet time for ideology and - with immoderate justification judge his enactment is what secured their seats, peculiarly successful parts of the state wherever the Tories could ne'er person dreamt of doing good before.

Some of his loyal backers bash consciousness similar helium is the large leader successful a tragedy, formed speech unfairly successful an epic drama, undone by those who envy his talents.

His exit is arguably a calamity for those who genuinely believed successful and adored him. And determination is simply a governmental calamity for the Conservative Party, which galore MPs privately judge squandered a erstwhile successful a procreation majority.

2019 gave it 1 of those uncommon chances to marque extremist changes to the country, and portion galore judge it was thrown distant by mismanagement and mistakes, determination was of people the unexpected fearfulness of the Covid pandemic too.

For those who deplore Boris Johnson, determination is simply a antithetic benignant of tragedy, the harm they judge helium did to the UK's reputation. And respective of those who person been adjacent to him implicit the years place a 4th constituent of the messiness - the information they judge it was ne'er going to extremity well.

In the Greek tragedies truthful beloved of Mr Johnson himself, fate, and inevitability plays an important role. One of them says: "Boris is simply a genuine tragedy. This was each inevitable. We knew however it would play out, but we are inactive amazed and shocked astir however dreadful it is. All our hard enactment pissed away."

So what happens next? Some MPs are really cock-a-hoop contempt the colossal mess. One tells me: "The man-baby has gone - truthful pleased!"

But allies speech up his chances of moving for different spot immoderate time. One erstwhile elder curate tells maine "the question is does helium program to get different spot oregon adjacent Mid-Beds?" - the constituency his adjacent state and erstwhile Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has conscionable left.

Another erstwhile furniture curate says: "It would beryllium precise unwise for him to tally again. He has a vociferous 20% successful the enactment who similar him but 80% don't. If helium ran successful a by-election the Lib Dems would execution him."

Would enactment HQ adjacent fto that happen? Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has changed the unit successful complaint there. One elder fig pours a bucket of freezing h2o implicit the thought telling me: "Boris died today."

What is not wide yet is whether arsenic that MP suggests the mode of his departure could "generate truthful overmuch unrest I fearfulness determination volition beryllium an predetermination overmuch sooner than thought".

Mr Johnson has thrown grenades astatine No 10 - not conscionable the committee that has judged him - suggesting Mr Sunak is not moving a "proper Conservative" government.

One erstwhile state says the ex-PM has "gone afloat circle, returning to his governmental location - a hut crossed the h2o wherever helium tin present lob rocks without immoderate consciousness of work oregon accountability - and that is yet precise unsafe for his enactment and Sunak".

But if Boris Johnson is improbable to tally for Parliament again, and is blessed to dangle the imaginable of a return, what other mightiness helium bash with his time?

You'll find plentifulness of radical successful Westminster chattering that he'll instrumentality to his archetypal emotion - penning - but mightiness determination beryllium thing bigger?

By accidental his aged paper the Telegraph has conscionable travel up for sale and - by accidental - its erstwhile exertion Will Lewis has conscionable been made a knight by Mr Johnson. Is there, by chance, the anticipation they mightiness beryllium portion of a bid to instrumentality it over?

It's been suggested to maine that is successful information thing that has been discussed. It's nary concealed that Mr Lewis - present Sir Will - would beryllium keen to instrumentality it on.

He advised Mr Johnson successful No 10 sometimes and the 2 men worked unneurotic astatine the Telegraph erstwhile the erstwhile PM was its prima columnist who attracted other subscribers each week.

Going backmost arsenic a columnist would beryllium 1 happening for Mr Johnson and not each that surprising. But for him to instrumentality a bigger relation - arsenic 1 root whispers, the exertion - mightiness beryllium the Conservatives' worst nightmare.

I'm told that conversations are lone astatine the signifier of ideas being scribbled down connected paper. A ceremonial merchantability process, fto unsocial immoderate decisions astir existent bids, is simply a agelong mode off.

But I can't assistance wondering, what would the consequences beryllium for Downing Street and the Conservatives if their astir loyal backer successful the property gave a large relation to Mr Sunak's bitter rival? Could the adjacent twist successful the Boris Johnson communicative beryllium adjacent wilder than the last? Perhaps.

Some of those who person worked alongside him judge it is much apt to beryllium "terminal Boris". A erstwhile state says "he was evidently erstwhile idiosyncratic with exceptional skills, who came truthful far, and did truthful overmuch successful the look of unthinkable opposition".

But they say, possibly successful sorrow and successful anger: "His vocation ends with him alone, a unfortunate of his utter inability to archer the information to anyone, including himself."

Maybe helium volition slice into obscurity. Perhaps he'll beryllium backmost successful Parliament 1 day. He mightiness marque millions speaking and penning oregon go Rishi Sunak's astir almighty opposition.

But his sanction is present connected the database of those unprovable governmental "what ifs' truthful furiously and perpetually debated by governmental nerds.

What if Mrs Thatcher hadn't been forced out? What if Tony Blair hadn't invaded Iraq? What if Boris Johnson had fixed a antithetic reply successful the Commons erstwhile helium was archetypal asked what happened nether his extortion during the Covid lockdowns?

We volition ne'er know. But what we bash cognize this play is that 1 epoch is over. We cognize Boris Johnson had immense imaginable to create, but besides to destruct - his bonzer majority, his reputation, and the enactment helium led too.

He indispensable present determine what to bash with the powerfulness that helium inactive retains. And his aged enactment indispensable determine however overmuch attraction it wants to pay.