As speculation mounts again about Theresa May’s longevity at Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s star has risen once again. But what would PM Boris be like? Ben Worthy and Mark Bennister read the runes from his time as London’s Mayor

Bennister, Mark

Worthy, Ben

English

LSE Research Online

From	City	Hall	to	Downing	Street:	what	would	Boris	asMayor	tell	us	about	Boris	as	PM?As	speculation	mounts	again	about	Theresa	May’s	longevity	at	Prime	Minister,	Boris	Johnson’s	star	has	risen	onceagain.	But	what	would	PM	Boris	be	like?	Ben	Worthy	and	Mark	Bennister	read	the	runes	from	his	time	asLondon’s	Mayor.Boris	Johnson	talks	to	the	press.	Picture:	Foreign	and	Commonwealth	Office,	via	(CC	BY	2.0)Having	spent	time	in	local	government	can	be	a	bonus	to	a	leader:	Prime	Ministers	as	diverse	as	Clement	Attleeand	Theresa	May	have	done	a	stint	at	local	level.	We	look	at	how	Boris	Johnson’s	time	as	Mayor	of	Londonsuggests	what	he	would	be	like	in	Number	10.Expect	eye-catching	media	events	and	charisma…Johnson	rose	to	prominence	through	the	media	and	was	the	archetypal	‘everyday’	celebrity	politician.	As	Mayor	hewas	an	expert	at	either	creating	his	own	media	events	(such	as	joining	a	drugs	raid	in	2011)	or	taking	advantage	ofany	that	came	his	way	(such	as	the	infamous	Olympics	zip-wire	incident).	While	no	great	orator,	his	jokes	and	off-colour	comments	helped	shape	his	image	as	a	jester.	His	biographer	Andrew	Gimson	speaks	of	how	his	politicalvision	was,	at	best,	a	brand	of	‘Merry	England	conservatism’,	giving	him	pragmatism	and	flexibility	as	Mayor.Though	his	style	was	an	‘affront	to	serious	people’s	idea	of	how	politics	should	be	conducted’,	like	other	leaders	youcould	name,	his	‘genuine	bogusness’	held	wide	appeal,	and	brazen	shamelessness,	rather	than	being	animpediment,	was	the	key	to	his	success.His	interventions	as	Foreign	Secretary,	a	job	that	requires	far	more	care,	vision	and	diplomacy,	have	proved	to	beas	disastrous	as	his	Mayoral	activities	were	successful.	People	have	looked	to	Johnson,	as	a	lead	Brexiter	in	agreat	office	of	state,	to	see	how	Brexit	will	shape	up,	making	it	a	little	trickier	not	to	have	a	vision.	We	could	expect	aseries	of	terrible,	Trump-esque	scenes	under	Prime	Minister	Johnson.	Johnson	adores	popularity	and	heartilydislikes	being	disliked	–	not	a	good	set	of	desires	for	an	office	that	(almost)	inevitably	results	in	disappointment.…but	don’t	expect	detailJohnson	was	the	Mayor	‘long	on	charisma	and	short	on	detail’.	The	secret	to	his	success	in	London	was	to	delegateto	a	series	of	very	able	chiefs	of	staff	and	deputies.	He	has	struggled	in	the	FCO,	an	office	requiring	a	very	firmgrasp	of	details	and	briefs,	with	the	Nazanin	Zaghari-Ratcliffe	diplomatic	dispute	with	Iran	revealing	just	how	out	ofhis	depth	he	seemed.	The	key	to	any	Boris	premiership	would	be	who	is	at	his	shoulder.Democratic Audit: From City Hall to Downing Street: what would Boris as Mayor tell us about Boris as PM? Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-02-01Permalink: https://www.democraticaudit.com/2018/02/01/from-city-hall-to-downing-street-what-would-boris-as-mayor-tell-us-about-boris-as-pm/Blog homepage: https://www.democraticaudit.com/Expect	quixotic	populist	projects	(that	may	never	arrive)Johnson’s	time	as	Mayor	was	filled	with	populist	ideas	for	grand	projects	that	either	didn’t	quite	prove	to	be	thesuccess	they	hoped	(such	as	the	cable	cars)	or	never	came	to	pass	(the	‘Boris	Island’,	his	airport	on	the	Thames).These	projects	served	to	gather	headlines	for	Boris	and,	in	the	case	of	Boris	Island,	side	step	tricky	questions	aboutHeathrow	as	he	searched	for	a	safe	seat.	Yet	London	and	the	taxpayer	is	still	paying	the	price	for	a	series	ofexpensive	and	incomplete	vanity	projects.	The	introduction	of	‘Boris	Bikes’	is,	of	course,	a	standout	policy.	It	hasnot,	however,	been	the	social	leveller	he	promised	and	use	of	the	bikes	is	disproportionately	an	activity	of	affluent,white	men.	Anyone	hoping	that	Prime	Minister	Johnson	will	mean	a	bridge	over	to	France	should	prepare	to	bedisappointed.Expect	him	to	take	an	‘independent’	linePerhaps	the	one	area	in	which	Johnson	resembles	Churchill	is	his	almost	perpetual	disloyalty	to	the	party	line.Though	Johnson	is	ostensibly	a	Conservative,	he	repeatedly	used	the	office	of	Mayor	to	push	against	any	‘slavish’interpretation	of	government	or	party	policy.	He	fought	robustly	government	housing	policy,	policing	cutbacks	and,most	importantly,	Conservative	EU	policy	on	a	referendum.Even	as	Foreign	Secretary,	it	seems	collective	responsibility	and	non-interference	in	other	ministers’	‘patches’doesn’t	apply	to	him	and	he	has	formulated	his	own	red	lines	and	ideas	on	NHS	funding.	Creating	such	‘distance’from	within	Downing	Street	is	difficult,	as	Theresa	May	has	found	out.	It’s	far	harder	to	rebel	and	push	against	‘theofficial	line’	when	you	are	in	charge	of	it.	And	Boris	has	few	friends	and	limited	numbers	of	cheerleaders	in	theConservative	party.	Remember	how	his	so-called	friend	and	once-planned	running	partner	Michael	Gove	stabbedhim	in	the	front?Expect	victory?Johnson’s	greatest	achievement	was	winning	twice	in	a	Labour	city.	Perhaps	his	key	selling	point	was	his	‘bridging’popularity.	Boris	(like	Ken	Livingstone	before	him)	had	cross-party	appeal.	His	style	and	charisma	made	him	theHeineken	politician,	reaching	voters	no	one	else	could.	The	past	tense	is	important,	as	it’s	no	longer	clear	he’s	stillHeineken.	In	2017	there	were	claims	he	was	‘toxic’,	especially	in	Remain	areas.	London	has	clearly	fallen	out	oflove	with	him.	Current	polls	record	only	a	+6	point	lead	on	whether	he	was	a	good	or	bad	Mayor	(compared	with	a+20	point	lead	for	his	old	foe	Ken).	Even	Tory	voters	are	losing	faith.	Could	Boris	Johnson	still	heal	the	dividedcountry?	The	numbers	on	the	bus	he	rode	say	no,	though	the	Foreign	Secretary	and	his	supporters	may	believe	theold	magic	is	still	there.In	some	senses,	Mayor	of	London	was	Johnson’s	perfect	job.	He	had	limited	power	but	a	wonderful	platform.	Thefear	is	that	we	would	get	a	Prime	Minister	Johnson	full	of	quixotic	projects,	tilting	at	windmills	and	bringing	thecountry	down	with	him	when	he	falls.This	article	represents	the	views	of	the	authors	and	not	those	of	Democratic	Audit.See	the	new	article	Worthy,	B.,	Bennister,	M.,	&	Stafford,	M.	(2018).	‘Rebels	leading	London:	the	mayoralties	ofKen	Livingstone	and	Boris	Johnson	compared’.	British	Politics.	About	the	authorsBen	Worthy	is	Lecturer	in	Politics	at	Birkbeck	College,	University	of	London.	He	is	the	author	ofThe	Politics	of	Freedom	of	Information:	How	and	why	governments	pass	laws	that	threaten	theirpower.Democratic Audit: From City Hall to Downing Street: what would Boris as Mayor tell us about Boris as PM? Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-02-01Permalink: https://www.democraticaudit.com/2018/02/01/from-city-hall-to-downing-street-what-would-boris-as-mayor-tell-us-about-boris-as-pm/Blog homepage: https://www.democraticaudit.com/Mark	Bennister	is	Reader	in	Politics	at	Canterbury	Christ	Church	University.	Similar	PostsWhat	does	Boris	Johnson’s	political	record	tell	us	about	his	prospects	as	Prime	Minister?The	art	of	political	survival:	three	lessons	from	Theresa	MayA	great	or	Pyrrhic	victory?	The	dangers	ahead	for	Boris	JohnsonTheresa	May	and	Boris	Johnson:	secrecy	as	statecraft?Audit	2017:	How	democratic	is	the	devolved	government	of	London?Democratic Audit: From City Hall to Downing Street: what would Boris as Mayor tell us about Boris as PM? Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-02-01Permalink: https://www.democraticaudit.com/2018/02/01/from-city-hall-to-downing-street-what-would-boris-as-mayor-tell-us-about-boris-as-pm/Blog homepage: https://www.democraticaudit.com/

From City Hall to Downing Street: what would Boris as Mayor tell us about Boris as PM?

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/109577/1/dit_com_2018_02_01_from_city_hall_to_downing_street_what_would_boris.pdf

From City Hall to Downing Street: what would Boris as Mayor tell us about Boris as PM?

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

LSE Research Online