logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
41m 20s

The fall of Boris Johnson

Financial Times
About this episode

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 prime minister knew the game was finally over.


And we’ll be looking at another Conservative party leadership contest, the candidates already out of the blocks and how the process is going to work.


On the panel: political editor George Parker, chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and special guest Hannah White from the Institute for Government think-tank.


Produced by Howie Shannon. The sound engineers were Breen Turner and Jan Sigsworth


-Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk

-Follow @Seb Payne

 

-Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newsletters


Audio: BBC / Sky / ITV


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

Up next
Yesterday
Disloyalty and defection: the Tory-Reform psychodrama
First he was pushed and then he jumped: high drama at Westminster after Kemi Badenoch sacked her rival for the Tory leadership Robert Jenrick - his crime was plotting a defection to Reform UK. Hours later, Jenrick appeared at Nigel Farage's side, branding his former party "rotten ... Show More
34m 33s
Jan 9
Trump trouble: Starmer's tricky start to 2026
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had wanted to kick off the new year with a strong domestic start, tackling the cost of living crisis head on, in the hopes of improving his dire poll ratings. Instead, he has found himself firefighting on the international front, trying to navigate ... Show More
34m 12s
Jan 2
Swamp Notes: Is the US economy really K-shaped?
Imagine a graph with one line going up over time. Below it, another line does just the opposite. It kind of looks like the letter K. On the FT's Swamp Notes podcast, Claire Jones and Rob Armstrong break down why people are saying that letter represents the state of the economy an ... Show More
19m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
Boris Johnson on the brink
<p>After a bruising day in parliament for the prime minister – which saw&nbsp;more resignations than ever before in British political history, including the chancellor and health secretary – Boris Johnson insists to cabinet rebels he won’t quit. So, what happened behind the scene ... Show More
33m 38s
Jan 2022
The challengers vying to replace Boris Johnson
<p>With the Sue Gray report imminent and a Tory rebellion in the offing, secret campaigning has already started for a new prime minister. Who are the candidates lining up to replace Boris Johnson? And what would it take for the PM to step down?&nbsp;</p><p><em>This podcast was br ... Show More
26m 7s
Jan 2022
How Partying Could Be Boris Johnson’s Undoing
<p>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. </p><p>Yet in the weeks since, the scandal has only grown, ... Show More
25m 3s
Jul 2024
Did Rishi's 'rot' start with Boris Johnson?
We sit down with Boris Johnson's director of communications, Lee Cain.In the last 48 hours Rishi has accused Starmer of being a threat to national security and a delight for Putin, a work-shy sloth who clocks off at 6pm, and a leader who's going to rig the electoral system foreve ... Show More
32m 53s
Jul 2022
Boris Johnson’s shambolic prime ministership
<p>Boris Johnson has resigned as British prime minister after a series of scandals meant his party could no longer support him.      </p> <p>Latika Bourke, the Sydney Morning Herald’s UK correspondent, tells us Johnson will be remembered most for his role in Britain leaving the E ... Show More
19m 39s
Jul 2022
Britain after Boris
<p>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.&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Subscribe to the FT News Br ... Show More
11m 6s
Sep 2022
After Boris: What now for the Tories?
With days to go until Boris Johnson’s replacement is announced, host Ailbhe Rea considers whether the Conservatives are now on their way out of office — or whether this is just one more clever shape-shift from the most successful political party in the world. She meets Johnson’s ... Show More
42m 27s
Mar 2023
Is it over for Boris Johnson?
<p>After swearing an oath on the King James Bible, Boris Johnson spent nearly three and a half hours being quizzed by fellow MPs on the privileges committee about gatherings in Downing Street during lockdown. The same afternoon, only 22 Tories followed him through the lobbies, de ... Show More
31m 39s
Jul 2022
The Final Days of Boris Johnson
<p>After a flurry of ministerial resignations and calls from members of his own party for his departure, Boris Johnson agreed on Thursday to resign as prime minister of Britain.</p><p>During his tenure, Mr. Johnson survived a series of scandals and skated past a lot of bad news. ... Show More
31m 51s