Boris Johnson said 'this is it, folks' as he gave his final speech as Prime Minister, highlighting his government’s record on Brexit, the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and sending a warning to Vladimir Putin amid the war in Ukraine. Take a look at Johnson resign:
A crowd of officials gathered around the door to Number 10 Downing Street as the 58-year-old made his speech.
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He will be replaced by Liz Truss this afternoon after visiting the Queen.
Johnson said: "Liz Truss and this compassionate Conservative government will do everything we can to get people through this crisis and we will win.
"If Putin thinks he can bully and blackmail the British people he is utterly deluded."
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Johnson said that the 'early supplies of weapons to the heroic Ukrainian Armed Forces' may 'very well have helped change the course of the biggest European war of 80 years'.
The former Prime Minister also celebrated the success of the vaccines rollout.
He said: “Through that lacquered black door, a new prime minister will shortly go to meet a fantastic group of public servants.
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“The people who got Brexit done. The people who delivered the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, and never forget 70 percent of the entire population got a dose within six months – faster than any comparable country. That is government for you. That’s this Conservative government.”
Perhaps a bit bizarrely, Boris also compared his tenure to 'booster rockets' and said: "I'm now like one of those booster rockets, that has fulfilled it's function and I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the pacific."
Johnson also reckons that if his dog Dilyn and Larry the cat can 'put behind them their occasional difficulties', then so can the Tory party.
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He added: “Thank you to everybody behind me in this building. Thank you to all of you in Government. Thank you everybody who’s helped look after me and my family over the last three years, including Dilyn the dog.
“I just say to my party if Dilyn and Larry can put behind them their occasional difficulties, then so can the Conservative Party.
“Above all, thanks to you, to the British people, to the voters, for giving me the chance to serve, all of you who worked so tirelessly together to beat Covid, to put us where we are today.
“Together, we have laid foundations that will stand the test of time, whether by taking back control of our laws or putting in vital new infrastructure, great solid masonry on which we will continue to build together, paving the path of prosperity now and for future generations.
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“I will be supporting Liz Truss and the new government every step of the way.”
He rounded off his speech by telling his Tory colleagues 'it’s time for politics to be over, folks'.
He concluded: “This is a tough time for the economy. This is a tough time for families up and down the country.
“We can and we will get through it, and we will come out stronger the other side.
“But I say to my fellow Conservatives, it’s time for politics to be over, folks.
“It’s time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team, and her programme, and deliver for the people of this country. Because that is what the people of this country want. That’s what they need. And that’s what they deserve.”
Read Boris Johnson's full speech below:
Well - this is it, folks.
Thank you everybody for coming out so early this morning.
In only a couple of hours I will be in Balmoral to see Her Majesty the Queen and the torch will finally be passed to a new Conservative leader.
The battle will be handed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race.
They changed the rules halfway through, but never mind that now.
And through that lacquered black door, a new prime minister will shortly go to meet a fantastic group of public servants - the people who got Brexit done, the people who delivered the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe and never forget 70 per cent of the entire population got a dose within six months faster than any comparable country.
That is Government for you. That's this conservative government.
People who organised those early supplies of weapons to the heroic Ukrainian armed forces and action that may very well have helped change the course of the biggest European war for 80 years.
Because of the speed and urgency of what you did, everybody involved in this government, to get this economy moving again from July last year in spite of all the opposition, all the naysayers, we have and will continue to have that economic strength to give people the cash they need to get through this energy crisis that has been caused by Putin's vicious war.
And I know that Liz truss, and this compassionate Conservative government will do everything we can to get people through this crisis, and this country will endure it and we will win.
And if Putin thinks that he can succeed by blackmailing or bullying the British people, then he is utterly deluded.
And the reason we will have those funds now and in the future is because we Conservatives understand the vital symmetry between government action and free market capitalist private sector enterprise.
We're delivering on those huge manifesto commitments - making streets safer neighbourhood crime down 38 per cent in the last three years 13,790 more police on the streets, building more hospitals and yes, we will have 50,000 more nurses by the end of the decade and 44 hospitals by the end of... 50,000 by the end of this Parliament, I should say, 40 new hospitals by the end of the decade.
Putting record funding into our schools and into teachers pay giving everybody overreaching a lifetime skills guarantee so they can keep upskilling throughout their lives.
Three new high speed rail lines, three, including northern powerhouse rail, colossal road proud programmes from the pen lines to call the rollout of gigabit broadband up over the last three years I'm proud to say, since you were kind enough to elect me, from 7 per cent of our country premises hadn't gigabit broadband to 70 per cent today.
And we of course providing the short and the long term solutions for our energy needs, and not just using more of our own domestic hydrocarbons, but going up by 2030 to 50 gigawatts of wind power - that is half this country's energy electricity needs from offshore wind alone.
A new nuclear reactor every year and looking at what is happening in this country the changes that are taking place, that is why private sector investment is flooding and more private sector more venture capital investment than China itself.
More billion pound tech companies sprouting here in the UK, than in France, Germany and Israel combined.
And as a result unemployment, as I leave office, unemployment down to lows not seen since I was about 10 years old and bouncing around on a spacehopper, my friends.
On the subject of bouncing around in future careers - let me say that I am now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function and I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific.
And like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough.
And I will be offering this government nothing but the most fervent support.
I'll tell you why.
This is a tough time for the economy.
This is a tough time for families up and down the country.
We can and we will get through it we will come out stronger the other side.
But I say to my fellow Conservatives, it's time for politics to be over folks.
It's time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team and her programme and deliver for the people of this country because that is what the people in this country want.
That's what they need.
And that's what they deserve.
I'm proud to have discharged the promises I made to my party when you were kind enough to choose me, winning the biggest majority since 1987.
The biggest share of the vote since 1979.
Delivering Brexit, delivering our manifesto committees including by the way, including social care, reforming social care, helping people up and down the country, ensuring that Britain is once again standing tall in the world.
Speaking with clarity and authority from Ukraine to the orcas pact with America and Australia, because we are one whole and entire United Kingdom whose diplomat security services and armed forces are so globally admired.
And by the way, as I believe, as I leave, I believe our union is so strong that those who want to break it up, they'll keep trying, but they will never, ever succeed.
Thank you to everybody by me in this building.
Thank you to all of you in government.
And thank you to everyone who has helped look after me and my family over the last three years including including Dilyn, the dog, and I just say to my party of Dilyn and Larry can put behind them their occasional difficulties, and so can the Conservative Party.
Above all, thanks to you, to the British people, to the voters for giving me the chance to serve all of you who worked so tirelessly together, to be Covid to put us where we are today.
Together we have laid foundations that will stand the test of time, whether by taking back control of our laws, or putting in vital new infrastructure, great solid masonry on which we will continue to build together paving paving the path of prosperity now and for future generations.
And I will be supporting this trust and the new government every step of the way.
Thank you all very much. Thank you. Goodbye. Thank you.
Topics: Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin, Politics
Anish Vij