The legacy of PM Boris Johnson: What is next for the British people?

Leaders come and go, but the consequence of their tenure leaves a lasting impact on our lives, writes Baroness Sandip Verma

People can bemoan the state of politics – they can feel betrayed and let down by politicians. This, we know. Yet why is it that we are still so easily won over by so-called “leaders” that apparently possess a magical talent that enables them to achieve electoral success others can only dream of?

The last few endless weeks of the Conservative Party’s leadership race to elect the next party leader (and our new prime minister) have seen scathing attacks on Rishi Sunak for being rich. For some strange reason, Sunak has been vilified as being out of touch with ordinary people – amazingly, he was deemed “too posh”.

Yet, all the while, Eton-educated, privileged Boris Johnson can supposedly connect with ordinary folk – or, that’s what his supporters would have us believe.

It is my strong opinion that we should be celebrating people that have ambition and aspiration to do well. Britain enables that to happen – so why should self-made wealth be seen negatively? How many of us have had to work that much harder, that much longer, our families making huge sacrifices, so we can achieve our goals?

It saddens me to think that instead of saying to people that anything is possible if you put in the effort and have enough opportunity, we want people to stay where they are. That can’t be right.

I believe that Johnson played a critical role during Covid – he ensured his chancellor had his full backing when it came to saving millions of jobs. Businesses were provided with lifelines during lockdown – and it was Sunak’s brilliance that saw the furlough system work for the nation. When the NHS and our scientists needed funds, Johnson was at the forefront of ensuring nothing got in the way to find vaccines to combat the lethal virus.

And yet having suffered so badly from the virus himself, what went on in No 10 with the parties during lockdown will be seen as amongst the darkest moments of his premiership. Other events that marred his tenure may become fish and chip paper memories, but trust, integrity and respect still remain deep-rooted expectations from our leaders in our country – and sadly, on this Boris Johnson will be judged harshly.

The last number of weeks have seen crisis on crisis beset the British people, and yes – there is a global element to many of the issues facing us now today. We needed a prime minister to come out and show us that all was being done; that even in his final days in office, the British public could feel assured that he was still in charge. Yet we saw, instead, pictures of our leader on holiday.

As the leadership race comes to a close, the Conservative Party needs to get back on track delivering a robust and fiscally-responsible plan. Whether it is Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss, they will need the support and inclusion of members who understand the needs of those who are far from the comfortable bubble our politicians reside in.

Political leaders across the world are watching us closely now. A fiscally smart leader is needed more than ever before. My view is that many Conservative members – many of whom are entrepreneurs themselves – would have weighed up the cliff edge they may face if sound economics are not followed.

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Economies function on certainty – if a few thousand people have not factored that in, then we may face even longer (and darker) days of recovery. The 80-seat majority happened for Johnson because people believed breaking away from Europe thanks to Brexit would bring untold opportunities our way.

It may well still be the case, but to ensure it happens, we need strong leadership and partnership. The world is changing fast. Growing global economies have moved on and have been busy making new partnerships. We cannot rely on history for future trade deals, we have to see the world as it is – and where we, as a nation, fit in.

For that to happen, the government will need to reflect on who we are as a country. Prime ministers come and go, but the consequence of their tenure always leaves a lasting impact on our lives. Any new leader coming in will need to forget strap-line politics and ignore the noise around them.

If they are worthy of the role, they will know what is needed right now – and that will mark their leadership.