He was the mayor who laid the groundwork for the glory of hosting the 2012 London Olympics, and the man who led the Conservatives to a resounding election victory on the back of his promise to “get Brexit done”.
But Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister was marred by his handling of coronavirus A steady stream of accusations of the pandemic and morality from alcohol-fueled government parties that broke lockdown rules over how they handled a sexual misconduct scandal involving a senior party MP.
Here is a timeline of related events Johnson’s political career,
2001-2008: Serves as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons representing the constituency of Henley.
2008-2016: Serves as the Mayor of London, overseeing the 2012 London Olympics.
2016: Then-Prime Minister David Cameron, co-leader of the campaign to get Britain out of the European Union, as opposed to a fellow Conservative. On June 23, 2016, Cameron resigned after voters approved Brexit in a national referendum.
2016-2018: Cameroon’s successor, serves as foreign secretary under Prime Minister Theresa May. Johnson resigned in July 2018 in protest of May’s strategy for a “soft” Brexit, which would maintain close ties with the European Union.
June 7, 2019: Theresa May resigned as leader of the Conservative Party after failing to persuade parliament to withdraw the Brexit deal in talks with the European Union. The party is divided between those who support May and hardliners led by Johnson, who are willing to risk a no-deal Brexit to secure concessions from the EU.
23 July 2019: Johnson is elected leader of the Conservative Party in a vote by party members. He takes office the next day as prime minister, inheriting a minority government that relies on votes from the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland to pass legislation. Johnson insisted Britain would leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal.
August 28, 2019: Johnson announced he would shut down parliament until mid-October, giving opponents less time to thwart a no-deal Brexit.
September 3, 2019: Twenty-one rebel Conservative Party lawmakers have supported legislation that requires the government to demand an extension of Brexit talks if it cannot negotiate a deal with the European Union. The measure is passed and the rebels are expelled from the party.
September 5, 2019: Johnson insisted he would prefer to be “dead in the abyss” rather than asking the EU for a further extension.
September 24, 2019: Britain’s Supreme Court declared the government’s suspension of parliament illegal.
October 19, 2019: Johnson asked the EU to delay Brexit again. New deadline set for January 31.
November 6, 2019: Parliament has been dissolved and early elections are due in mid-December as Johnson seeks a mandate for his Brexit strategy.
December 12, 2019: Johnson won a majority of 80 seats in the general election, giving him support to move through Brexit legislation. The victory makes Johnson the most electorally successful Conservative leader since Margaret Thatcher.
January 23, 2020: After the approval of the UK Parliament, the Brexit deal became law. The European Parliament approved the deal six days later.
March 23, 2020: Johnson put the UK in the first lockdown because of COVID-19,
April 5, 2020: Johnson was hospitalized and later moved into intensive care with COVID-19. He was released from the hospital on April 12, thanking the nurses who sat with him through the night to make sure he continued to breathe.
November 3-4, 2021: Johnson’s government ordered Conservative lawmakers to support a change in ethics rules to delay the suspension of Owen Paterson, a Johnson supporter who was condemned for violating lobbying rules. The remedy passes. A day later, facing anger from lawmakers from all parties, Johnson reversed course and allowed lawmakers to vote on Patterson’s suspension. Patterson resigned.
November 30, 2021: It is alleged that government officials attended parties in government offices during November and December 2020 in violation of the COVID-19 lockdown rules. The scam extends to reports from over a dozen parties. Johnson denies the allegations, but opposition leaders criticize the government for breaking the law as people across the country have made sacrifices to combat the pandemic.
December 8, 2021: Johnson authorizes an investigation into the scandal, known as “Partygate.” The challenge of leadership builds pressure, but is wasteful.
February 3: Johnson’s longtime aide, Munira Mirza, leaves Downing Street, followed by three other top aides.
23 March: The government announced a mid-year spending plan that has been criticized for doing little to help those grappling with the rising cost of living. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak refused to delay a planned income tax hike or impose windfall tax on oil and gas companies benefiting from rising energy prices.
9 April: Johnson met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, promising a new package of military and economic aid. The move helps Johnson and his supporters, who argue the government should not focus on domestic political feuds.
12 April: Johnson has been fined 50 pounds ($63) for attending one of the lockdown parties. Opposition parties have portrayed him as the first UK prime minister in history to have broken the law while in office. Johnson apologizes but insists he didn’t know he was breaking the rules.
22 May: conclusions of “Partygate” investigation Details of 16 gatherings between May 2020 and April 2021 at Johnson’s home and office and other government offices have been published. The report details excessive drinking among some of Johnson’s employees, at a time when millions were unable to see friends and family.
26 May: The government reverses course on its tax decision on oil and gas companies and announces plans for a 25% windfall levy.
June 6: Johnson narrowly won No confidence motion, Conservative MPs voted 211 to 148 to support him. But the scale of the rebellion – about 41% voted against him – shakes his grip on power.
June 15: Christopher Geidt resigned as Johnson’s ethics adviser, accusing the Conservative government of flouting conduct rules.
June 24: The Johnson Conservatives lost two former strongholds of the opposition parties in the special elections.
June 29: Parliament’s Cross-Party Privileges Committee seeks evidence to investigate whether Johnson misled parliament on lockdown parties.
30 June: Chris Pincher has resigned as Conservative deputy chief whip amid allegations that two guests were assaulted at a private members’ club in London. Allegations of past sexual misconduct come to the fore regarding Pincher. Questions swirl about whether Johnson was aware of the claims when Pincher was given the job.
July 5: Johnson apologized for his handling of the Pincher scandal and said he had forgotten about being told about the allegations. Two of Johnson’s most senior cabinet ministers, Treasury Chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, left the government.
6 July: Nearly three dozen junior ministers resigned from the government, attacking Johnson’s leadership.
7 July: Johnson agrees to resign as leader of the Conservative Party and as prime minister.