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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Dan Sabbagh

Was Boris Johnson the worst prime minister of recent times?

Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and Tony Blair
Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and Tony Blair. Composite: Peter Nicholls/WPA Pool/Oli Scarff/Jack Taylor/Stephen Hird

Was Boris Johnson the worst prime minister of recent times? He squandered one of the strongest political positions held by an occupant of No 10 in record time. The authority gained after winning an 80-seat majority in December 2019 dissipated at extraordinary speed as he dealt with a series of scandals with a ham-fisted mixture of denial, disorganisation and even outright lying.

The high point was the election victory, secured on the back of the “get Brexit done” pledge. After securing an exit from the European Union, Johnson struggled with the coronavirus pandemic, was late imposing the first lockdown in March 2020 and was forced to cancel at the last minute a plan to loosen restrictions the following Christmas.

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