New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern resigned. What that ...

Exhausted. Overworked. Done.

Many people feel these emotions on a daily basis, and often specifically about their jobs. But that doesn't mean everyone is able to truly be "done" at the end of the day.

That's part of why New Zealand Prime Minister's Jacinda Ardern's decision to resign after taking the post in 2017 flabbergasted the world.

"Prime Minister Jacinda Arden stepping down is another example of the state of burnout people feel, across the globe," says Shavonne Moore-Lobban, licensed psychologist. "The last few years have been extremely challenging and there are few people who are exempt from that. People are tired from the fights they have come out of and the ones that they may still ahead from there."

Feel the urge to 'quiet quit'? Time to check in with your mental health, experts say

Not 'enough in the tank':New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern quits over burnout

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern resigns: What happened?

Fighting back tears, Ardern, 42, told reporters that Feb. 7 will be her last day in office.

She said: “I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job. I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility, the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not. I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple."

Though she didn't use the word burnout, her resignation has sparked a larger conversation about what burnout feels like, the privilege of departing a job and mental health.

Some pointed out to other possible motives for her resignation – was this merely a politically advantageous choice? – but others praised her.

"Jacinda Ardern, an accomplished female leader, a progressive voice against bigotry and hate, a young woman in the highest office who normalised (sic) kindness and empathy," one Twitter user wrote. "I hope history will be kind to her – to resign at a time when leaders will go to any extent to stay in power."

More on the resignation:New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stepping down; will not contest general elections

Another user added: "It takes immense courage to be empathetic and honest and acknowledge that you are no longer in a place to do the work that took so much from you and those around you. There are many ways to lead. One that we never see is the capacity to be vulnerable."

What is burnout?

The World Health Organization added burnout to the International Classification of Diseases Index in 2019. It defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

Burnout can be characterized by three dimensions, according to T.M. Robinson-Mosley, counseling psychologist:

Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion

Increased mental distance from job, including negativity or cynicism

Reduced sense of professional competence

"Many people can connect to the feeling of burnout," Moore-Lobban adds. "The prime minister’s desire to spend more time with her family, and take a step back from her role, is aligned with the desires of many."

The bigger conversation about privilege

Of course, not everyone can up and quit when they feel like it. They have bills to pay, mouths to feed, lives to live. And that may require them to work in spite of stress.

"For women of different levels of power, social privilege, and class privilege, leaning back could mean a loss of livelihood, hunger or eviction," says Miranda Nadeau, licensed psychologist. "Stepping down from our responsibilities comes with tangible, existential risk along with the lure of psychological recovery."

Perhaps Ardern's move can inspire a future where quitting can be more financially feasible.

"Everyone doesn’t have the ability to step down from their work when they are burned out, or to prioritize themselves and their family over their work; however, we should have that ability," Moore-Lobban says. "It’s important to one’s mental health and well-being."

Nadeau agrees: "Even those who are dependent upon ceaseless work will be better able to access rest when more leaders like Ardern both take action to improve equity and also model this necessary decision. It’s improving the ability for the least powerful amongst us to rest that will create necessary change – but you can’t be burned out to do that."

Are you experiencing burnout?

You may be experiencing burnout if you:

Have difficulty concentrating

Feel like work has unrealistic expectations of you

Dreading the thought of work at the beginning or end of day

Excessive fatigue

Irritability

Disinterest in social activities

Lower sex drive

Headaches and tightness in neck, shoulders and back

GI issues

And it's not something easily fixable.

"When it comes to burnout, leadership and work environment are the cause and the cure," Robinson-Mosley says. "Which means it's really tempting to try to think about fixing burnout by looking at the person who's burned out and trying to advise self-care strategies and tips that they can do in order to curtail burnout or to be able to address it in a positive or significant way. The challenge is that burnout is a pervasive issue in organizational structure and context."

More on burnout:It starts with work and while self-care can help, it isn't just your problem to solve

Contributing: Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Why is New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern resigning?

New Zealand's leader Jacinda Ardern is quitting her job as prime minister because of professional burnout, the 42-year-old said Thursday.

Ardern, who's been in the role since 2017, was elected at age 37, becoming, at that time, the youngest female leader of any government in the world. (Finland's Sanna Marin is now the youngest serving prime minister in the world at 34 years old.)

"I am not leaving because it was hard," Ardern said. "Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job. I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility, the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also when you are not."

"I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice," she told reporters in Napier, fighting back tears. ''It is that simple."

More on the resignation:New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern resigned. What that says about privilege, burnout.

"I would be doing a disservice to New Zealand to continue."

Ardern said her years in office were "the most fulfilling" of her life. However, she noted that leading New Zealand during years of "crisis" had been hard. "There's never really been a moment when it's ever felt like we were just governing."

Ardern quits: What now?

She will remain on the job until Feb. 7. Lawmakers from her center-left Labour Party will vote on a successor. If they can't reach an agreement, the vote will be opened up to rank-and-file members of the party.

Ardern's resignation comes ahead of an October general election in New Zealand. Polls show her party has been losing support recently.

What is Ardern's legacy?

She was lauded globally for her country’s initial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic after New Zealand managed for months to stop the virus at its borders. But its zero-tolerance strategy was abandoned once it was challenged by new variants and vaccines became available. She faced tougher criticism at home that the strategy was too strict.

Can I go to New Zealand right now?:For the first time in more than 2 years, yes

In March 2019, Ardern faced one of the darkest days in New Zealand’s history when a white supremacist gunman stormed two mosques in Christchurch and slaughtered 51 worshippers during Friday prayers. Ardern was widely praised for her empathy with survivors and New Zealand’s wider Muslim community in the aftermath.

After the mosque shootings, Ardern moved within weeks to pass new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. A subsequent buyback scheme run by police saw more than 50,000 guns, including many AR-15-style rifles, destroyed.

But Ardern and her government also faced criticism that it had been big on ideas but lacking in execution. Supporters worried it hadn’t made promised gains on increasing the housing supply and reducing child poverty, while opponents said it was not focusing enough on crime and the struggling economy. Many observers said that sexist attitudes played a role in the anger directed at Ardern.

More on prime minister's announcement:New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern stepping down; will not contest general elections

In her private life, apart from breaking barriers for her relative youthfulness, she is only the second elected world leader to give birth while in office. The first was Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's former prime minister who was assassinated in 2007.

Who's saying what about her?

"Jacinda Ardern has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength. She has demonstrated that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities. Jacinda has been a fierce advocate for New Zealand, an inspiration to so many and a great friend to me." - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

"Thank you ... for your partnership and your friendship – and for your empathic, compassionate, strong, and steady leadership over these past several years. The difference you have made is immeasurable. I’m wishing you and your family nothing but the best, my friend." - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

“Her treatment, the pile on, in the last few months has been disgraceful and embarrassing. All the bullies, the misogynists, the aggrieved. She deserved so much better. A great leader.” - actor Sam Neill

Contributing: The Associated Press

Liz Truss resigns as Britain's Prime Minister after disastrous six ...

London CNN —

Liz Truss will become the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, after announcing her intention to resign just six weeks into a disastrous term that pitched Britain deep into political and economic turmoil.

Truss said Thursday that she would step aside for a new leader to be chosen within the next week, after a growing number of her own Conservative Party’s lawmakers said they could not support her any longer.

“Given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty The King to notify him that I am resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party,” Truss said while standing outside the famous black door of 10 Downing Street, the same spot in which she had promised to put the UK back onto the path to economic growth and stability just six weeks earlier.

The announcement brings to an ignominious end a catastrophic tenure in Downing Street, which appeared doomed ever since the announcement of Truss’s flagship economic agenda sent markets into panic. A record rise in UK government bond prices sent borrowing costs surging and forced the Bank of England to make three successive interventions to rescue overstretched pension funds. The pound at one point hit an all-time low against the US dollar.

Truss said she would stay in Downing Street until her successor is named.

Graham Brady, who chairs the 1922 Committee which represents rank-and-file Conservative Members of Parliament, said Thursday that the new party leader – and therefore prime minister – should be in place before the end of October.

Candidates to replace Truss will need at least 100 nominations from British Conservative lawmakers, Brady said later on Thursday, a move that effectively narrows the field of potential candidates.

The threshold allows for the possibility of three candidates, maximum, he said. There would be an online vote for Conservative Party members if two candidates make it through the parliamentary stages, party chairman Jake Berry added.

If only one candidate emerges, there could be a new party leader and Prime Minister by Monday, Brady said.

Truss had tried to save her position by admitting her plan was a mistake and replacing her chancellor and long-time ally Kwasi Kwarteng with Jeremy Hunt, a staunch supporter of former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest over the summer.

In the end, even that was not enough.

On Wednesday, Truss lost another top official when Home Secretary Suella Braverman dramatically quit just a few weeks into the job, using her letter of resignation to launch a blistering attack on the prime minister’s leadership.

“The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes. Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics,” Braverman wrote in a critique of Truss’s numerous U-turns on taxes and public spending.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss announces her resignation outside Number 10 Downing Street on October 20, 2022. Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Making a bad day even worse, chaotic scenes unfolded in the UK Parliament on Wednesday evening during a vote on whether to ban controversial fracking for shale gas.

Lawmakers reported that aides for Truss had manhandled MPs into the voting lobby to force them to vote against the ban proposed by the opposition Labour Party. Politicians in the lobby tweeted eyewitness accounts alleging that MPs were being physically dragged to vote in the government lobby, amid angry scenes of shouting and altercation.

House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced Thursday that he had ordered an investigation into the allegations.

Shortest tenure ever

The names of potential successors began floating around even before Truss announced she was going to resign.

Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, who stepped in for Truss during a difficult parliamentary debate earlier this week and also stood in the leadership contest over the summer, will likely be in the running. Sunak, who was Truss’ biggest rival in that contest, is another possible candidate.

Meanwhile, allies of Boris Johnson, Truss’s predecessor in Number 10, made it clear on Thursday that they think the former prime minister will stand in the leadership contest, according to two sources who worked on Johnson’s 2019 leadership campaign.

Newly appointed Home Secretary Grant Shapps and Kemi Badenoch, who came fourth in the last leadership contest, could also stand.

Truss announced her decision to leave on day 45 of her tenure. George Canning previously held the record for the shortest term in Downing Street, having served for 119 days until his death in 1827.

Her move ensures a fresh power struggle within the ruling Conservative Party, which has hemorrhaged public support for the past year and has now overthrown Boris Johnson and Truss in the space of a few months. The new prime minister will be the third since the last general election in December 2019 and the fifth since the Conservatives came into power in 2010.

Earlier this year, Truss’s predecessor Johnson narrowly survived a confidence vote in his leadership. But he resigned weeks later when dozens of ministers and members of the government quit, citing a lack of confidence in his government.

Truss was elected the Conservative Party leader in early September. The September 6 audience during which Queen Elizabeth II officially appointed Truss as the new prime minister, the 15th of her reign, was one of the last duties carried out by the monarch before her death on September 8.

The new prime minister, whoever that may be, will become the first to be appointed by King Charles III.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, which is enjoying a huge lead in opinion polls, on Thursday repeated his calls for an early general election.

“After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos,” the opposition leader said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people,” he added.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called for an early vote.

“The interests of the Tory party should concern no-one right now. A General Election is now a democratic imperative,” Sturgeon said on Twitter.

The next general election is due to take place no later than January 2025, but the prospect of Britain seeing its third prime minister since the last poll in 2019 would heap pressure on Truss’ successor to ask the public for a new mandate.

The British pound was trading 0.5% higher against the dollar after Truss announced her resignation, indicating that investors welcomed the decision.

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Ivana Kottasová
Rob Picheta

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern resigns – and inspires

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has had enough and is willing to say so.

“I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice,” she said Thursday. “It is that simple.”

And so, 5½ years into her tenure, she is stepping down in February, eight months before New Zealand’s next election.

This is being covered around the world as astonishing news, but countless women will have little trouble understanding why the 42-year-old world leader wants to prioritize her well-being.

Seven months ago, The Guardian reported that threats against Ardern had nearly tripled over three years. Most of this menace has come from two groups: Pro-gun zealots who hate her for legislation banning most military-style weapons, and anti-vaxxers who hate her for strict COVID-19 policies that saved lives. Both efforts had catapulted her to global fame – and we all know how a certain percentage of men feel about a woman who refuses to cower to their misogyny.

Ardern did what women do

New Zealand has a population of 5.1 million. It is roughly the size of South Carolina; half the size of Georgia. So how did Ardern, the youngest woman in the world elected to lead a government, become so famous?

She was 37 when elected in 2017. The following year she had a baby, making her only the second elected world leader to give birth in office. The first was Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990. My, this slow crawl of progress.

Staring back at us:What if our reaction to Prince Harry and his book is more about us than him?

Ardern's leadership was tested early and often.

On March 15, 2019, a lone gunman opened fire on two mosques during Friday prayers in the southern city of Christchurch. He killed 51 Muslims as he broadcast the shooting live on Facebook.

Arden did what women do: She showed up. Her hair was cloaked in a hijab as she hugged and consoled grieving survivors. She also did what most women in America want: Less than a month after the massacre, she shepherded legislation to change guns law, banning nearly all military-style semi-automatic weapons. Only one member of parliament voted against it.

"To owners who have legitimate uses for their guns, I want to reiterate that the actions being announced today are not because of you and are not directed at you," Ardern said. "Our actions, on behalf of all New Zealanders, are directed at making sure this never happens again."

As U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rightly pointed out at the time on Twitter, "Sandy Hook happened 6 years ago and we can’t even get the Senate to hold a vote on universal background checks. …

"Christchurch happened, and within days New Zealand acted to get weapons of war out of the consumer market. This is what leadership looks like."

Gabby Giffords:Why I'm optimistic about reducing gun violence in America

A year later, the pandemic arrived. Ardern quickly closed her country’s borders and enforced strict quarantine requirements for returning New Zealanders. Ensuing lockdowns kept infection rates dramatically low, earning her global praise and a landslide reelection.

The 'real reason was' life

She faced a tough reelection, but she has proved herself to be a tough competitor, and it’s hard to believe that alone is pulling her out. She’s aware that we’re wondering.

“I know there will be much discussion in the aftermath of this decision as to what the so-called ‘real reason was.’ I can tell you that what I’m sharing today is it. The only interesting angle that you will find is that after going on six years of some big challenges, I am human. Politicians are human. We give all that we can for as long as we can, and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time.”

I needed a moment of peace:Then I found this mother singing to her kids on TikTok

I am remembering that moment last November, when Ardern stood on stage beside Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and a male reporter asked whether the leaders had met because they were “similar in age and, you know, got a lot of common stuff there.” He didn’t provide a map for destination “there,” but we all knew what he meant. They were just two gals gabbing about world affairs and mani-pedi appointments.

Ardern was having none of that. “My first question is I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they meet because they were of similar age. We of course have a higher proportion of men in politics. It’s reality. Because two women meet, it’s not simply because of their gender.”

This week, Ardern listed her proudest achievements and said she hoped for a legacy "as someone who always tried to be kind.

"I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused. And that you can be your own kind of leader – one who knows when it's time to go."

The toll and inspiration of leadership

Anyone practiced in the art of kindness knows its power, but also its limits. A powerful legacy, indeed, especially for women and the girls who are watching.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern resigned. What that says about privilege, burnout.

She said nothing about the threats of violence. Good. I understand the desire not to give the haters that victory. True leaders do not create crises, they respond to them. Now, in real time, she is showing us both the toll of that leadership, and its inspired next steps.

We will hear again from Jacinda Ardern.

In her time, in her way.

USA TODAY columnist Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize winner whose novel, “The Daughters of Erietown,” is a New York Times bestseller. You can reach her at CSchultz@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @ConnieSchultz

Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96 | CNN

London CNN —

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch whose rule spanned seven decades, died on Thursday at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The Queen’s oldest son Charles has now become King Charles III.

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the royal family said in a statement posted on its official Twitter account, referring to Charles as the new King for the first time.

The King said in a statement that the Queen’s death was “a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world,” he said in the statement.

Crowds of mourners gathered outside Balmoral Castle and other royal residences, despite heavy downpours in parts of the UK on Thursday evening. Many brought flowers and lit candles, some looking visibly shaken by the news.

In keeping with the royal tradition, a written statement announcing the Queen’s death was displayed on the gates of Buckingham Palace. In a striking moment just after the official announcement was made, the heavy rain battering London stopped and a large double rainbow appeared over the palace.

Follow live updates here.

Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, on the death of her father, King George VI. She oversaw the last throes of the British empire, weathered global upheaval and domestic scandal, and dramatically modernized the monarchy.

She lost Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years and the longest-serving consort in British history, in April last year.

Elizabeth ruled over the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms, and became one of the most recognizable women ever to have lived.

Royal family rushed to the Queen’s side

The Queen’s four children were at Balmoral Castle when the announcement was made.

Charles rushed to the Scottish castle earlier on Thursday together with his wife, Camilla. The Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, known as the Princess Royal, was already there.

Prince William, who is now the heir apparent to the throne, arrived at Balmoral Thursday afternoon together with the Queen’s other two sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, as well as Edward’s wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.

Prince William and his wife Catherine have taken on the title of Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, according to their official Twitter account. Charles and Camilla were previously known by that title. The couple are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge.

Catherine remained at Windsor, where their three children attended their first day at a new school.

Prince Harry arrived to Balmoral after the announcement was made. His wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex was not traveling with him.

Last public appearance

The Queen was last seen in public on Tuesday when she formally appointed Liz Truss as the UK’s new prime minister. A photograph from the audience showed the monarch smiling, standing in the drawing room in Balmoral, carrying a walking stick. Truss is the 15th – and the last – British Prime Minister to be appointed by Elizabeth.

There have been concerns over the Queen’s health ever since a brief hospital stay last October. She has experienced episodic mobility issues, which have at times caused her to withdraw from official engagements.

But those concerns grew deeper on Wednesday when Buckingham Palace announced the Queen had postponed a virtual meeting of her Privy Council after being advised by doctors to rest.

On Thursday, the palace announced that the Queen was under medical supervision, but said she was “comfortable” at Balmoral. As her children rushed to her side during the day, it became clear the situation was serious.

Her death comes seven months after the Queen marked the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. The UK officially celebrated the platinum jubilee in June with days of pomp and pageantry and she made several public appearances in London.

Global tributes

Messages of condolences started pouring in from around the world immediately after the announcement was made, underscoring the global impact the Queen had made during her 70-year reign.

Speaking outside Downing Street on Thursday, Truss said the Queen’s death was “a huge shock to the nation and to the world.”

“Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built,” the new prime minister said. “Our country has grown and flourished under her reign.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, saying she was “loved and admired” by the people of Scotland.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the Queen as a “good friend” of the UN, adding: “She was a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change, including the decolonization of Africa and Asia and the evolution of the Commonwealth.”

Pope Francis also mourned the Queen’s death, praising her “steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ” in an open letter to King Charles III.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was “with the heaviest of hearts” that Canada learned of the monarch’s passing, while Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese praised the Queen’s devotion to “duty, family, faith and service.”

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a national address that the Queen had come to define “notions of service, charity, and consistency.”

The Queen was the head of state in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden called the Queen a “steadying presence.”

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era,” they said in a statement.

President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said the country had lost “a remarkable friend.”

“Her Majesty served the British people with exceptional dignity. Her personal commitment to her role and extraordinary sense of duty were the hallmarks of her period as Queen, which will hold a unique place in British history,” Higgins said. In a hugely symbolic moment in 2011, the Queen became the first British monarch to make a state visit to the Republic of Ireland.

Numerous kings, queens and royal families of other countries have also sent messages of sympathy. King Felipe VI of Spain, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Norway’s King Harald and King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands all sent condolences.

To get updates on the British Royal Family sent to your inbox, sign up for CNN’s Royal News newsletter.

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Huge blow for Boris Johnson as senior UK government ministers ...

London CNN —

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was dealt a huge and sudden blow on Tuesday when two of his top ministers announced their resignations, saying they could no longer work for a government mired in scandal.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced their decisions to quit within minutes of each other on Tuesday evening, plunging Johnson’s troubled administration into renewed chaos and prompting a wave of other junior ministers and officials to resign.

Some called on Johnson himself to step down, and there was speculation that if he refused to go, members of his own party would launch a formal effort to unseat him – less than a month after the last one failed.

The immediate cause of the resignations was the bungled handling of a recent controversy, but came against the backdrop of months of turmoil in which Johnson was fined by police for breaking Covid-19 lockdown rules.

“The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously,” Sunak said in his resignation letter, posted to Twitter. “I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”

“I am sad to be leaving Government but I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we cannot continue like this,” Sunak added.

Javid wrote that “it has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role, but I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience.” Javid added that the vote of confidence in the prime minister last month “was a moment for humility, grip and new direction.”

“I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too,” Javid wrote.

Other ministers and officials occupying more junior posts in the government quit in the hours that followed, with more resignations continuing on Wednesday morning. Johnson moved to shore up his position, replacing his two Cabinet ministers late on Tuesday.

Scandal after scandal

The latest crisis blew up out of Downing Street’s handling of last week’s resignation of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who stepped down from his post last Thursday amid allegations he had groped two guests at a private dinner the night before.

While he did not admit the allegations directly, Pincher said in a letter to Johnson that “last night I drank far too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people.”

Downing Street had struggled to explain why Pincher was in government in the first place, amid a wave of revelations about his previous alleged conduct, denying Johnson knew anything specific about the allegations.

On Tuesday, it emerged that a complaint had been made against Pincher in the Foreign Office about three years ago and that Johnson was briefed on what happened.

Minutes before Sunak and Javid announced their resignations, Johnson acknowledged it “was a mistake” to appoint Pincher to his government.

“I got this complaint. It was something that was only raised with me very cursory, but I wish that we had acted on it and that he had not continued in government because he then went on, I’m afraid, to behave, as far as we can see – according to the allegations that we have – very, very badly,” Johnson said in a broadcast interview.

UK opposition leader Keir Starmer said it was “clear” that the government was “collapsing.”

“Tory cabinet ministers have known all along who this Prime Minister is. They have been his cheerleaders throughout this sorry saga. Backing him when he broke the law. Backing him when he lied repeatedly. Backing him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people,” the Labour Party leader said in a statement released after the two resignations.

For months Johnson has been facing a barrage of criticism over his conduct and that of his government, including illegal, lockdown-breaking parties thrown in his Downing Street offices for which he and others were fined.

Johnson has faced numerous other scandals that have hit his standing in the polls – despite his 80-seat landslide victory just two-and-a-half years ago. These include accusations of using donor money inappropriately to pay for a refurbishment of his Downing Street home and whipping MPs to protect a colleague who had breached lobbying rules.

Last month, he survived a confidence vote, but the final count of his lawmakers who rebelled against him was higher than his supporters expected: 41% of his own parliamentary party refused to back him.

But while he managed to win the confidence vote, he suffered a further blow late last month when his party lost two parliamentary by-elections in a single night, raising new questions about his leadership.

According to an Ipsos UK survey conducted between 22 and 29 June, Johnson’s Conservative Party, by some measures, is at its lowest level recorded in more than a decade. Just 21% of respondents said it is “fit to govern” – the lowest number for either the Conservatives or Labour since Ipsos started tracking this metric in 2011.

The chaos in Westminster had ripple effects in the financial markets, pushing the value of the British pound against the dollar to its lowest in more than two years.

More resignations

Downing Street did not hesitate filling the vacant roles. Nadhim Zahawi, who was previously Secretary of State for Education, was appointed as Chancellor, while Downing Street Chief of Staff Steve Barclay became the new Health Secretary. Michelle Donelan replaced Zahawi as Education Secretary.

The resignation of the two Cabinet ministers prompted more junior figures to follow. Conservative party vice chair Bim Afolami announced his decision to quit live on television. During an interview with Tom Newton Dunn on Talk TV, Afolami said: “I just don’t think the Prime Minister any longer has my support… the support of the party or indeed the country anymore.”

Alex Chalk, who served as the Solicitor General for Englnad and Wales, one of the government’s most senior law officers, also quit, saying in his resignation letter that it was time “for fresh leadership.”

“To be in government is to accept the duty to argue for difficult or even unpopular policy positions where that serves the broader national interest. But it cannot extend to defending the indefensible,” Chalk said.

The Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Morocco, Andrew Murrison, also stepped down, blasting the “rolling chaos of the last six months” and saying that Boris Johnson’s “position has become unrecoverable.”

At least half a dozen other junior-ranking government officials also announced resignations later on Tuesday, and more quit on Wednesday morning.

Allies of the Prime Minister insisted he would fight on. But, adding to the sense of chaos, two more ministers resigned just as Zahawi was giving an interview to BBC Radio 4’s Today program, regarded as the most high-profile of morning broadcast shows. As Zahawi responded to being told of the first resignation, the presenter, Nick Robinson, interrupted him to tell him of another.

Opinion: Britain has a new prime minister -- that no one in Britain ...

Editor’s Note: Laura Beers is a professor of history at American University. She is the author of “Your Britain: Media and the Making of the Labour Party” and “Red Ellen: The Life of Ellen Wilkinson, Socialist, Feminist, Internationalist.” The views expressed here are solely hers. Read more opinion on CNN.

CNN —

Britain’s Conservative Party, which has weathered the resignation of two prime ministers since December 2019, cannot remain in government for another two years without calling a general election.

Well, technically, they could. But that doesn’t mean they should.

Laura Beers Laura Beers

Under British law, as long as a party can command a parliamentary majority, it can continue in power for up to five years before calling an election.

And the Conservative Party, despite having suffered a series of recent by-election defeats, still maintains a working parliamentary majority of 71, meaning that Britain’s next general election could conceivably come as late as January 2025.

On Monday, Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson’s former finance minister, won the contest to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and will become prime minister of Britain. Johnson himself had seriously considered challenging Sunak to regain the premiership, before announcing Sunday evening that he would not stand in the leadership race.

Since the announcement of Liz Truss’s resignation on Thursday, Conservative MPs have been citing the letter of the law to defend the party’s seeming determination to remain in power, despite the insistence of opposition parties and even some Tories that a general election is now a moral, if not a legal, imperative.

But as any three-year-old knows, there are two meanings of “You can’t do that!” On the one hand, there is “You can’t do that because it is actually impossible.” There is also, “You can’t do that because it is unconscionable.” When one of my sons clocks the other one on the head and I shout, “You can’t do that!” both boys understand my meaning.

Changing leaders twice in the course of a parliamentary term without consulting the British electorate is the political equivalent of whacking your brother just because he annoyed you. You just can’t do it and expect to get away with it. This is especially true when, as in the current political moment, there have been dramatic reversals of party policy since the previous general election.

Britain is facing inflation, rising borrowing costs and predicted deficits on a massive scale which will likely require either significant tax increases, spending cuts or both.

The policy decisions taken in the next few months will have implications for years to come. There is a political imperative for Britons to be given a say as to how their leaders should tackle the current crisis. By ignoring that imperative, the Tory party would risk further eroding faith in Britain’s democratic process, at a time when democracy is under significant threat around the globe.

There is a political imperative for Britons to be given a say as to how their leaders should tackle the current crisis. Laura Beers

In the current situation, it is untenable to argue that the mandate which the public gave to Boris Johnson and the 2019 Conservative election manifesto still holds. This is true despite the fact that Sunak, the new party leader, served in Johnson’s administration.

It would have to be true even if Johnson had returned as prime minister – an incredible political reincarnation which Johnson seriously considered attempting before announcing on Sunday that he would not stand for the leadership despite the “very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members.”

Even before Truss announced her resignation, Britain’s opposition parties have been calling for a general election in the wake of her disastrous “mini-budget,” the series of policy U-turns that followed and her decision to sack her newly appointed chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng.

Following Truss’s resignation announcement, Labour leader Keir Starmer reiterated those calls, emphasizing that the British people had a right to weigh in on the question of who should lead the country.

“The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people. They do not have a mandate to put the country through yet another experiment; Britain is not their personal fiefdom to run how they wish,” Starmer said.

Likewise Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, asserted that there was now a “democratic imperative” to hold a general election, and the Liberal Party leader Ed Davey, insisted that the Conservatives had a “patriotic duty” to “give the people a say” about the future direction of the country.

That Britain’s opposition parties are clamoring for an election is unsurprising. The latest opinion polling shows Labour up over 30 points on the Tories, the party’s largest poll lead in history. If an election were called in the next few months, Labour would almost certainly win a comfortable majority.

But the conviction that “the British public deserve a proper say on the country’s future,” extends beyond the opposition ranks. A YouGov poll conducted Thursday found that nearly two-thirds of Britons believed that Truss’s replacement should call an early general election.

In asserting the imperative for an early general election after two changes of leadership, the opposition parties have history on their side. British political parties have frequently made a single change of prime minister without calling an early election.

Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair in June 2007 and did not hold an election for nearly three years. John Major replaced Margaret Thatcher in November 1990 and did not call an election for another year and a half. Similar to Brown, Jim Callaghan, who succeeded Harold Wilson, lasted nearly three years without an election.

But in each of these cases, the men who took over had been long-serving and high-ranking members of their predecessors’ administrations, and (with the exception of Major’s abandonment of the highly unpopular poll tax) largely continued the policy program on which their predecessor had been elected.

In that sense, their ascension to the premiership was more akin to the elevation of a vice president after the death of a president in the United States – a significant change in government, but one accepted to be within the bounds of democratic legitimacy.

In contrast, the only prime minister in the modern era to govern without seeking a new electoral mandate after two changes in leadership was Winston Churchill, whose wartime coalition government had the united support of all parties in the House of Commons and the clear backing of the British public.

Before Churchill, we need to look back to 1828, when the Duke of Wellington succeeded the Viscount Goderich, who in turn had succeeded George Canning (who died in office after 119 days and who held the title of shortest serving prime minister for nearly two hundred years, until Liz Truss came along.)

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The Tory Wellington remained in office for a year and a half without calling a general election. But Britain in 1828 was not a true democracy. Fewer than 10% of adult males could vote, and several MPs represented “rotten boroughs” which were effectively controlled by a handful of wealthy families. The notion of democratic accountability simply did not exist in the way that it does now.

Today, in the 21st century, with universal adult suffrage, Starmer is right that the Tories cannot treat Britain as their personal fiefdom. After all that has happened since Johnson’s resignation in July, they must seek a fresh mandate to remain in power.

After all the chaos and dysfunction, the British people deserve a say over who governs the country.

How scandals of Boris Johnson's own making brought him down ...

London CNN —

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation as Conservative Party leader Thursday, bringing his scandal-plagued tenure to an end after less than three years.

Johnson was left with little choice but to step down after several high-profile members of his cabinet resigned in protest this week over his handling of misconduct allegations related to government officials. Dozens more members of his government have also quit.

Johnson was ultimately undone by his response to fallout from the resignation last Thursday of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, amid allegations Pincher had groped two guests at a private dinner the night before. While he did not admit the allegations directly, Pincher said in a letter to Johnson last week that “last night I drank far too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people.” Other historical allegations of misconduct by Pincher emerged in the ensuing days.

Johnson initially denied being aware of some of those allegations, but ultimately the Prime Minister was forced to admit he had been briefed years before and apologize for his decision-making.

It was the final straw for many political allies who had supported Johnson through crisis after crisis over the years. In recent months the Prime Minister had been facing a barrage of criticism from all sides over his conduct and that of his government, including illegal, lockdown-breaking parties thrown in his Downing Street offices, for which he and others were fined.

Johnson faced numerous other scandals that hit his standing in the polls – despite his 80-seat landslide general election victory just two and a half years ago. These include accusations of using donor money inappropriately to pay for a refurbishment of his Downing Street home and whipping lawmakers to protect a colleague who had breached lobbying rules.

Two weeks ago, the Conservatives lost two key by-elections – results that were blamed on Johnson personally.

In early June, he survived a confidence vote, but the final count of his lawmakers who rebelled against him was higher than his supporters expected: 41% of his own parliamentary party refused to back him.

That vote was triggered after months of speculation over Johnson’s future. The so-called “Partygate” scandal, which saw Johnson found guilty of breaking his own Covid-19 laws by attending a gathering to celebrate his birthday at a time when such events were banned, has dogged Johnson since the news broke late last year.

A controversial rise

With the possible exception of his hero, Winston Churchill, Johnson was perhaps the most famous politician to enter Downing Street as Prime Minister, having forged a successful career as a journalist, novelist, TV personality and London mayor in the preceding decades.

He was a populist before populists really existed. His controversial comments – comparing Muslim women who wear face coverings to letterboxes, or calling gay men “bum boys” to name but two – appalled many. But he got away with his Lothario image, the public seemingly happy to accept his alleged affairs and love child. It seemed that Johnson could essentially laugh his way through any problem.

Yet, for all his ambition and charisma, the job of Prime Minister seemed out of reach for most of his adult life. Those who know Johnson personally say that he loathed the fact that many in the British Conservative elite saw him as a useful campaigning tool but more of a comedian cheerleader than a serious statesman.

Boris Johnson waves from the steps of No. 10 Downing Street after giving a statement in London in July 2019. He had just become prime minister. Frank Augstein/AP A 15-year-old Johnson, right, is seen outside Eton College, a boarding school outside London, in 1979. Ian Sumner/Shutterstock Johnson, 21, speaks with Greek Minister for Culture Melina Mercouri in June 1986. Johnson at the time was president of the Oxford Union, a prestigious student society. Brian Smith/Reuters Johnson started his career as a journalist. He was fired from an early job at The Times for fabricating a quote. He later became a Brussels correspondent and then an assistant editor for The Daily Telegraph. From 1994 to 2005, he was editor of the weekly magazine The Spectator. Neville Elder/Corbis via Getty Images In 2001, Johnson was elected as a member of Parliament. He won the seat in Henley for the Conservative Party. Tim Ockenden/PA Images/Getty Images Johnson looks apologetic after fouling Germany's Maurizio Gaudino during a charity soccer match in Reading, England, in May 2006. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Johnson is congratulated by Conservative Party leader David Cameron, right, after being elected mayor of London in May 2008. Cameron later became prime minister. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire via AP Johnson, left, poses with a wax figure of himself at Madame Tussauds in London in May 2009. Sang Tan/AP Johnson poses for a photo in London in April 2011. He was re-elected as the city's mayor in 2012. Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images Johnson and his wife, Marina, enjoy the atmosphere in London ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony in July 2012. The couple separated in 2018 after 25 years of marriage. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Johnson gets stuck on a zip line during an event in London's Victoria Park in August 2012. Barcroft Media via Getty Images Johnson waves on London's Wandsworth Bridge as a bike-sharing program was expanded in the city in 2013. Jonathan Brady/PA Images/AP Johnson poses with his father, Stanley, and his siblings, Rachel and Jo, at the launch of his new book in October 2014. Stanley Johnson was once a member of the European Parliament. David M. Benett/Getty Images Johnson takes part in a charity tug-of-war with British military personnel in October 2015. Jonathan Brady/AP Johnson and Michael Gove ride on a "Vote Leave" campaign bus in June 2016. Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/AP Johnson kisses a wild salmon while visiting a fish market in London in June 2016. A month earlier, he stepped down as mayor but remained a member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Stefan Rousseau/AP Johnson arrives at a news conference in London in June 2016. During the Brexit referendum that year, he was under immense pressure from Prime Minister Cameron to back the Remain campaign. But he broke ranks and backed Brexit at the last minute. Mary Turner/Bloomberg via Getty Images Johnson sits next to Prime Minister Theresa May during a Cabinet meeting in November 2016. Johnson was May's foreign secretary for two years before resigning over her handling of Brexit. Peter Nicholls/WPA Pool/Getty Images As foreign secretary, Johnson meets with US House Speaker Paul Ryan in April 2017. Johnson was born in New York City to British parents and once held dual citizenship. But he renounced his US citizenship in 2016. Richard Pohle/WPA Pool/Getty Images Johnson launches his Conservative Party leadership campaign in June 2019. Leon Neal/Getty Images Johnson and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt take part in the Conservative Leadership debate in June 2019. Jeff Overs/BBC via Getty Images Johnson speaks in July 2019 after he won the party leadership vote to become Britain's next prime minister. Toby Melville/Reuters Britain's Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Johnson at Buckingham Palace, where she invited him to become Prime Minister and form a new government. Victoria Jones/AP Johnson poses with his dog Dilyn as he leaves a polling station in London in December 2019. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images Johnson appears on stage alongside Bobby Smith during the count declaration in London in December 2019. Johnson's Conservative Party won a majority in the UK's general election, securing his position as Prime Minister. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds, react to election results from his study at No. 10 Downing Street. Andrew Parsons/i-Images/ZUMA Press Johnson speaks on the phone with Queen Elizabeth II in March 2020. Andrew Parsons/WPA Pool/Getty Images In March 2020, Johnson announced in a video posted to Twitter that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus. "Over the last 24 hours, I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus. I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government's response via video conference as we fight this virus. Together we will beat this," Johnson said. He was later hospitalized after his symptoms had "worsened," according to his office. From Twitter Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, outside of No. 10 Downing Street, join a national applause showing appreciation for health-care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Aaron Chown/PA Images/Getty Images Johnson is seen via video conference as he attends a Covid-19 meeting remotely in March 2020. Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street After recovering from the coronavirus, Johnson returned to work in late April 2020. Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Johnson and staff members are pictured together with wine at a Downing Street garden in May 2020. In January 2022, Johnson apologized for attending the event, which took place when Britons were prohibited from gathering due to strict coronavirus restrictions. Guardian/eyevine/Redux Johnson wears a face mask as he visits the headquarters of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust in July 2020. Ben Stansall/WPA Pool/Getty Images US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sits across from Johnson in the garden of No. 10 Downing Street in July 2020. HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP/Getty Images 14/07/2020. London, United Kingdom. Boris Johnson and Carrie NHS Call.The Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds with their son Wilfred in the study of No10 Downing Street speaking via zoom to the midwifes that helped deliver their son at the UCLH. Andrew Parsons/No10 Downing Street Johnson holds a crab in Stromness Harbour during a visit to Scotland in July 2020. Robert Perry/Getty Images Johnson is seen with his wife, Carrie, after their wedding at London's Westminster Cathedral in May 2021. The ceremony, described by PA Media as a "secret wedding," was reportedly held in front of close friends and family, according to several British newspaper accounts. Rebecca Fulton/Pool/Reuters Johnson and US President Joe Biden speak at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, England, after their bilateral meeting in June 2021. Biden and Johnson were participating in the G7 summit that weekend. Andrew Parsons/No10 Downing Street/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II greets Johnson at Buckingham Palace in June 2021. It was the Queen's first in-person weekly audience with the Prime Minister since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Dominic Lipinski/Pool/Getty Images Johnson delivers his keynote speech on the final day of the annual Conservative Party Conference in October 2021. Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images Johnson and former British prime ministers attend a requiem Mass for Conservative MP David Amess in November 2021. From left are former Prime Ministers John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Johnson. Stefan Rousseau/Pool/AFP/Getty Images Johnson and his wife, Carrie, holding their newborn daughter, Romy, hold video calls in December 2021. Simon Dawson/No10 Downing Street Johnson speaks in the House of Commons in January 2022. He apologized for attending a May 2020 garden party that took place while the UK was in a hard lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19. Johnson told lawmakers he believed the gathering to be a work event but that, with hindsight, he should have sent attendees back inside. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor via AP Johnson meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, in April 2022. Presidential Office of Ukraine/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Johnson attends the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London in June 2022. It was part of Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria Jones/AP "I think it's an extremely good, positive, conclusive, decisive result which enables us to move on to unite," Johnson said in an interview shortly after surviving a confidence vote in June 2022. PA/AP Johnson leaves No. 10 Downing Street on July 6, a day after two senior Cabinet ministers quit over Downing Street's handling of the resignation of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images At Prime Minister's Questions on July 6, Johnson said "the job of a Prime Minister in difficult circumstances when he has been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going, and that's what I'm going to do." Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/Reuters Johnson announces his resignation in front of No. 10 Downing Street on July 7. "It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister," he said. Henry Nicholls/Reuters Johnson speaks outside No. 10 Downing Street on September 6. It was his last day as prime minister. Alberto Pezzali/AP In photos: Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Prev Next

Even during his time as Mayor of London, winning two terms in a city that traditionally doesn’t vote Conservative, the most memorable moments of his time in office are images such as him inelegantly dangling from a zip wire or forcefully rugby tackling a 10-year-old child while on a trade visit to Tokyo. He just wasn’t considered serious enough for the top job.

Then Brexit happened. Johnson led the successful campaign that defied the odds and saw the UK vote by a narrow majority to leave the European Union in 2016.

Overnight, he went from being a man who seemed to have made a fatal political error by backing the wrong horse in the referendum, to the figurehead of a mass rebellion that had just overrun the entire British establishment.

Guerilla journalism

On paper, Johnson was an unlikely candidate to become the voice of those who felt themselves to be voiceless. Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was born in New York City in 1964 to an internationalist family. As a boy, Johnson would tell friends and relatives that he wanted to be “world king” when fully grown, his sister wrote in a family biography.

He was educated at Eton College, the most exclusive private school in the UK, alma mater of 20 Prime Ministers, followed by the University of Oxford. While at Oxford, he was a member of the notorious Bullingdon Club: An elite all-male group for wealthy students, famed for ostentatious (and sometimes rowdy) displays of wealth such as vandalizing restaurants, then paying for the damage on the spot in cash. Johnson was never proven to have been personally involved in any such activity.

Johnson worked as a journalist for establishment newspapers, most notably The Daily Telegraph, which made him its Brussels correspondent in 1989. It was here in Belgium that Johnson began writing what would become the most important chapter of his life story: Brexit.

Boris Johnson speaks at a Brexit press conference in London in November 2019. Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Although the Telegraph was firmly Euroskeptic, the UK’s exit from the EU was not really on the cards at the time, and even English Conservatives seemed to accept this. However, they lapped up Johnson’s guerrilla journalism, which often stretched the truth of what was actually happening in Brussels.

The most famous example of this was a story by Johnson that claimed the EU was planning to ban the sale of bendy bananas. The EU repeatedly debunked that and many of the stories that Johnson published.

In 1999, Johnson was offered the editorship of The Spectator, a weekly magazine often jokingly called the “Conservative bible.” He accepted, agreeing with the owner that he would drop his by now well-known political ambitions, according to a biography by the political journalist Andrew Gimson. He kept his word for all of two years and stood to become a member of parliament in 2001.

In the years that followed, Johnson was swallowed by the conservative establishment. He carried on writing the conservative script as a journalist and building a base of loyalists both inside and outside of politics.

As Johnson’s confidence grew, he was determined to show the Conservative Party that his appeal went beyond the British right. In 2008, he was elected the Mayor of London – a liberal, cosmopolitan city that did not traditionally vote Conservative. Johnson believed that he was showing his party that he had the chops to drag them into the 21st century. The problem for Johnson was that they already had a new, young leader – his old schoolfriend and future Prime Minister, David Cameron.

It was Cameron who ultimately made Brexit possible. After winning his second general election as Conservative leader in 2015, he decided to hold the EU referendum on the understanding that Johnson would fall in line and be an asset for the “remain” campaign.

Instead, in February 2016, Johnson shocked the nation by announcing on the front page of his old paper, the Telegraph, that he would defy Cameron and lead the Brexit campaign.

The rest is history. Johnson turned the establishment on its head and became the most influential politician in the UK. While he didn’t become Prime Minister immediately, he continued to build his power base, undermining then-incumbent Theresa May as she struggled with Brexit for three years.

As foreign secretary under May, he was blamed for worsening the predicament of the jailed British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after wrongly saying in 2017 that she was in Iran teaching journalists, rather than on holiday, at the time she was detained. But his patchy record in the role did not appear to cost him much support within his party.

A populist who became unpopular

Johnson’s time finally came in July 2019 when he became leader of the Conservative Party, claiming around two-thirds of the membership vote. His brash style was vindicated later that year, when he silenced all of his opponents in a landslide election victory that would finally allow him to, as his own slogan boasted, “Get Brexit Done.”

It truly seemed that the stars had finally aligned for Johnson, who desperately wanted to be taken seriously. He made Brexit popular and personally dragged it across the line. He had completed his transition to the role of statesman. He had proved everyone wrong.

Yet, as the clock ticked down on so-called Brexit Day, January 31, 2020, a deadly virus was already causing alarm in Asia. It would soon start spreading across Europe and kick off the crisis that would remove him from office.

Johnson had a mixed pandemic. He was lauded by the public for the amount of state spending unleashed to mitigate its impacts on those whose jobs and livelihoods were threatened, but panned by the more conservative elements of his party. He was accused of responding too slowly, but also for making lockdown rules so complicated even he and his team in Downing Street couldn’t follow them.

The breaking of these rules by Johnson and members of his team, the economic fallout of the pandemic leading in part to a cost-of-living crisis, his handling of the Pincher scandal and a general sense of the shine wearing off the Brexit golden boy were ultimately too much for his party. It seems its members couldn’t stand the thought of Johnson staying on and dragging the party into its grave.

His political career is a story of near-misses, sex scandals, celebrity, controversy and revolution that ended in personal tragedy. The man who only ever wanted to be taken seriously ended up, ultimately, as the joker once again.

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The US and its allies have agreed to a release of 60 million barrels from their reserves, the White House and International Energy Agency announced Tuesday, as leaders seek to dampen the effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on gas prices at home.

Half of that total – 30 million barrels – will come from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and the other half will come from allies in Europe and Asia. Those other allies include Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and other major European countries, as well as Japan and South Korea.

The International Energy Agency announced Tuesday that member countries have agreed to the release from emergency reserves to send a “strong message to global oil markets that there will be no shortfall” as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In its own statement, the White House said the release “is another example of partners around the world condemning Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and working together to address the impact of President Putin’s war of choice.”

“President Biden was clear from the beginning that all tools are on the table to protect American businesses and consumers, including from rising prices at the pump,” the White House said in a statement.

The oil market was not immediately impressed. US crude spiked about 10% Tuesday morning to an intraday high of $105.14 a barrel. That’s the highest level since 2014. Brent crude, the world benchmark, soared about 8% to $105.40 a barrel.

“The bottom line is this is not enough to cool off the market. It’s a bit of a band-aid solution,” said Michael Tran, managing director of global energy strategy at RBC Capital Markets.

“You need to super-size the numbers,” said Robert Yawger, vice president of energy futures at Mizuho Securities.

The invasion of Ukraine has driven concerns about a supply disruption from Russia, the world’s No. 2 oil producer. Brent oil prices closed above $100 a barrel on Monday for the first time since 2014.

High oil prices have lifted prices at the gas pump to seven-year highs. The national average for regular gasoline rose to $3.62 on Tuesday, up about 9 cents in a week and 24 cents in a month, according to AAA. At some point, energy prices could get so expensive that it erodes demand from consumers and slows the broader economy.

US officials have spent the last several weeks on calls and in meetings with counterpart key energy supplying countries in an effort to secure commitments to back-fill any market disruptions. The effort included an in-person visit to Saudi Arabia from two senior administration officials to discuss the need to address the effect on oil markets. The US informed Saudi Arabia ahead of the oil reserve announcement.

President Joe Biden signaled his intent to release the oil last week.

“We are actively working with countries around the world to evaluate a collective release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves of major energy-consuming countries. And the United States will release additional barrels of oil as conditions warrant,” he said.

Tapping the reserve – the stockpile of 600 million barrels of crude oil stored in underground salt caverns in Louisiana and Texas – generally has only a limited effect on gas prices because of how much oil can be released at a time, but would act as a political sign that Biden is confronting the problem.

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth expressed support on Tuesday for governments to release emergency stockpiles of oil to offset supply fears triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I do think a coordinated response by multiple countries could help in the near-term,” Wirth said in response to a question from CNN during a briefing with reporters. “Certainly, we’ve seen markets on edge with concern about supply and supply reliability.”

Wirth expressed confidence that there will not be a major supply disruption.

“I’ve seen nothing to indicate that either Russia’s intentions or the intentions of governments involved in sanctions would be to restrict oil supply,” Wirth said. “In fact, quite the opposite. It would appear to me that people have been very careful to signal their intention is to try to maintain energy supply to a world that needs it.”

But it’s not a long-term solution. There is a finite amount of oil in emergency reserves. In fact, the SPR holds the least amount of oil since September 2002, according to government statistics.

Matt Smith, lead Americas oil analyst at Kpler, said emergency releases are arguably bullish from a market sentiment standpoint.

“Every time the US announces a release from the SPR,” Smith said, “it’s one less bullet that it has to be able to use later on.”

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Phil Mattingly Kevin Liptak Kaitlan Collins Natasha Bertrand Matt Egan