Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts as he leaves from 10 Downing Street in central London on July 20, 2022 to head to the Houses of Parliament for his last weekly Prime Minister's Questions session. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson bowed out of his final showpiece parliamentary appearance with a round of applause from his party, jeers from opponents and an enigmatic exit line: "Mission largely accomplished … hasta la vista, baby."
Johnson was forced to announce his resignation earlier this month after a mass rebellion against the latest in a string of scandals that his party decided had undermined his ability to lead the country any longer after three turbulent years in charge.
Speaking in his final "Prime Minister's Questions", the weekly fixture of the political calendar which pits the prime minister against his opponents in rowdy debate, Johnson sought to shape his legacy around the COVID-19 response and his support of Ukraine.
Speaking in his final "Prime Minister's Questions", the weekly fixture of the political calendar which pits the prime minister against his opponents in rowdy debate, Johnson sought to shape his legacy around the COVID-19 response and his support of Ukraine
"We've helped, I've helped, get this country through a pandemic and help save another country from barbarism. And frankly, that's enough to be going on with. Mission largely accomplished," Johnson said.
"I want to thank everybody here and hasta la vista, baby."
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The line, borrowed from Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1991 movie "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and translated as "see you later", prompted a round of applause from most on his own side.
Only two weeks ago, some of those clapping had resigned from his government, criticized his leadership and demanded he quit. Reporters in the debating chamber said his predecessor, Theresa May, did not stand to clap.
Opponents did not join in the applause either, having earlier used the question-and-answer session to take him to task over a range of policies, from the as-yet unfinished Brexit to his response to soaring living costs.
With an eye on an election due in 2024, opposition leader Keir Starmer sought to highlight division in the ruling party, listing criticisms of government policy set out by the lawmakers from Johnson's own side who are vying to replace him.
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"He's decided to come down from his gold-wallpapered bunker for one last time to tell us that everything is fine. I am going to miss the delusion," Starmer said.
Johnson said the criticism was "completely satirical".
His parting speech gave advice to his as-yet-unnamed successor: Stay close to the United States, support Ukraine, cut taxes and deregulate, don't let the finance ministry constrain ambitious projects, and pay attention to the electorate.
"Remember, above all, it's not Twitter that counts, it's the people that sent us here," he said.
Also on Wednesday, former finance minister Rishi Sunak and foreign secretary Liz Truss made the final two candidates to become Britain's next prime minister, kickstarting the last stage of the contest to replace Johnson.
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Sunak has led in all rounds of the voting among Conservative lawmakers, but it is Truss, who seems to have gained the advantage so far among the around 200,000 members of the governing party who will ultimately choose the winner.
The final stretch of a weeks-long contest will pit Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs banker who has raised the tax burden towards the highest level since the 1950s, against Truss, a convert to Brexit who has pledged to cut taxes and regulation.
Whoever triumphs when the result is announced on Sept 5 will inherit some of the most difficult conditions in Britain in decades. Inflation is on course to hit 11 percent annually, growth is stalling, industrial action is on the rise and the pound is near historic lows against the dollar.