Bristol has reacted to the news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced his resignation today (July 7). After more than 50 resignations from members of his government over the past day or so, the PM addressed the country to announce he will step down from his position.
And many readers agree that this is the right decision. In little over an hour, a Bristol Live Facebook post bringing the breaking news of Boris Johnson speaking to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, and agreeing to stand down as Prime Minister, received more than 240 comments. Some expressed their view that Johnson was a "liar", though some did commend him for "doing a lot of good" during his time in charge.
One commenter, Julie Marshall, wrote: "He hasn’t helped himself at all. He bare faced lied over and over again.
Read more: LIVE - Boris Johnson 'set to resign' with statement to nation
"I hate politics as I think there’s very few that are trustworthy at the forefront of any party so not sure we will ever be happy with who we have leading this country. We never are.
"Boris in my opinion has had one of the toughest times in position, he did a lot of good but he’s also undone this by his actions. We won’t give him credit for, whether we like it or not, the hard work he clearly had put in.
"He actually looks exhausted. But on the one hand where he did good, the other hand he messed up. It is time to go, get all those that resigned back in position and a new PM who will not lie, come from a working background and in touch with the real world. That’s not Boris."
Many more agreed that his time in power has 'taken its toll' on Johnson and that he has had 'a lot to deal with' in just the last couple of years alone, including the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit, the cost of living crisis and even the war in Ukraine. Some even added that it was more the people he chose to work alongside him as part of his government that were to blame for the Prime Minister's downfall.
Ian Wright commented: "All Boris is guilty of is trusting the wrong people, giving second chances, then being stabbed in the back by his so called “loyal” colleagues. How short people's memories are, he has dealt with Brexit, a pandemic, war in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis.
"All while fielding a rearguard action to defend himself from others in his own party and MSM."
Penny Chapham simply wrote: "When you chose the wrong people to work with you, you lose out and that was your downfall Boris." Rachel Vile dubbed it "bullying" and added that "he had no choice".
And Sue Rice said: "I like Boris, he did his best in very difficult circumstances. Been brought down by career politicians and the media. Politicians on all sides of the political divide are all the same, they are not in it for the good of the country!"
With regards to the recent groping allegations against Chris Pincher at a private members' club, some of those commenting believed that Boris Johnson wasn't 'solely responsible', despite others commenting that the PM had known about the reports against Pincher long before they were made public. Jackie Hartnell commented: "The Government is rocked by one scandal or another - partygate, sexual predators, bullying and so much. My question is, is Boris solely responsible for this? No he is not."
But, while some said they were going to miss 'BoJo', the majority of comments shared messages of relief, saying "about time" and expressing equal measures of hope and dread with regards to who would follow in his footsteps. One commenter hoped that the position of Prime Minister would go to local politician Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has stood by Boris Johnson through it all, while another joked that Labour leader Keir Starmer could jump ship, change sides and stand as Prime Minister for the Tories instead.
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