logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
34m 14s

The Economist Asks: Boris Johnson resign...

The Economist
About this episode

After days of mounting pressure–sparked by a scandal involving his deputy chief whip–Britain’s prime minister quit as Conservative Party leader. The scandal is one of many that plagued his leadership, but the problems facing the Tories run far deeper. Host Anne McElvoy asks The Economist’s Andrew Palmer and Soumaya Keynes what brought the curtain down on Mr Johnson and what problems await his successor. Plus, Charles Powell, Margaret Thatcher’s closest adviser, assesses the similarities between the denouement of the two charismatic and controversial leaders.


Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions:www.economist.com/podcastoffer



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Dune raider: Saudi is a video-game superpower
Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, is a huge video-game fan. Now his hobby is becoming a multi-billion-dollar industry for the kingdom, which is acquiring some of the world’s biggest gaming firms. How Finnish icebreakers became a focus for polar power politics. And ... Show More
19m 57s
Yesterday
Finally, a deal: the fragile peace in Gaza
Donald Trump has brokered an agreement between Israel’s government and Hamas. It’s a momentous breakthrough. Our correspondent analyses what comes next. We launch “The Economist Insider”, our new TV show for subscribers, where senior editors debate the news. And, do red-light mas ... Show More
23m 25s
Oct 8
Liberté, égalité, désordre: chaos in France
France’s newly-appointed prime minister has resigned only weeks into the job. Now President Emmanual Macron has given him 48 hours to come up with a plan for next year’s budget. Can Macron survive the turmoil? As driverless taxis take over San Francisco, what will happen to the h ... Show More
21m 3s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Has Rishi Sunak’s NI deal silenced Tory Eurosceptics?
Boris Johnson may have criticised the prime minister’s deal on post-Brexit trading in Northern Ireland but a number of formerly staunch Eurosceptic rebels — including Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker — have enthused about Sunak’s success. How is the PM going to manage dissen ... Show More
26m 16s
Feb 2022
The net tightens for Boris Johnson
We ask whether the prime minister can survive the latest scandal engulfing his government. Is the departure of his closest and longstanding aide Munira Mirza the beginning of the end? Or the start of a reset? Chief political correspondent Jim Pickard will discuss with chief polit ... Show More
34m 17s
Jul 2022
Boris Johnson’s shambolic prime ministership
Boris Johnson has resigned as British prime minister after a series of scandals meant his party could no longer support him.       Latika Bourke, the Sydney Morning Herald’s UK correspondent, tells us Johnson will be remembered most for his role in Britain leaving the European Un ... Show More
19m 39s
May 2023
18: George Osborne: Austerity, Boris Johnson, and the UK's next Prime Minister
Does George Osborne regret leaving politics? Does he think Sunak can win the next general election? What did he admire about New Labour, Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown? Tune in to today's episode of Leading to hear Alastair and Rory's conversation with the former Chancellor of the ... Show More
1h 9m
May 2023
Fruitful Endeavours: A Look at Work, Strikes and Suella
Home Secretary Suella Braverman says it should be British workers picking fruit, but the latest jobs data shows record levels of economic inactivity. Senior economics reporter Philip Aldrick and Markets Today blog writer David Goodman dig into what that means for Prime Minister R ... Show More
29m 46s
Jul 2022
The fall of Boris Johnson
In this week’s bumper episode, we’ll be taking you behind the scenes on a week that brought Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister to a rather bitter close. We’ll take you through his handling of the Chris Pincher affair, the dramatic Cabinet resignations and the moments the prim ... Show More
41m 20s
Jul 2022
Britain after Boris
The FT’s UK chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and FT columnist Stephen Bush discuss what’s next for the country after Boris Johnson’s resignation. Plus, as the fears of recession grow, commodity prices are falling.  Subscribe to the FT News Briefing on Apple Podcasts o ... Show More
11m 6s
Jan 2022
How Partying Could Be Boris Johnson’s Undoing
When allegations first emerged in November about parties held at 10 Downing Street, the residence and offices of the British prime minister, during a strict Covid lockdown, Prime Minister Boris Johnson waved them away. Yet in the weeks since, the scandal has only grown, with publ ... Show More
25m 3s