Members of Congress took a largely wait-and-see attitude toward the political drama unfolding across the Atlantic amid British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to step down.
A bipartisan group of House members largely expressed optimism for an enduring United States-United Kingdom alliance. And one lawmaker, Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), went so far as to weigh in on the race to succeed Johnson.
Johnson, a former mayor of London, announced his resignation on Thursday after a whirlwind 48 hours that saw more than 50 government ministers quit over his handling of a sexual misconduct scandal involving a top political ally.
INTERNAL PRESSURE AFTER STRING OF SCANDALS FORCED BORIS JOHNSON TO RESIGN
Johnson had been accused of lying about his knowledge of alleged misconduct by Chris Pincher, a fellow Conservative lawmaker whom the prime minister tapped as his party’s deputy chief whip in February, despite Pincher’s long history of allegedly crossing sexual boundaries.
Rep. Waltz seemingly endorsed a candidate for the Conservative leadership, writing that “we hope” Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat “steps up to lead our closest ally” in a tweet posted on Thursday. Tugendhat, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in Britain’s Parliament, previously indicated that he would run to replace Johnson if the embattled prime minister stepped down.
With the world on fire, we hope a fellow Afghan vet like @TomTugendhat steps up to lead our closest ally. https://t.co/PJGoh6XlF5
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) July 7, 2022
A Waltz spokesman later said the congressman’s tweet did not amount to an official endorsement of Tugendhat’s candidacy.
“It’s not an official endorsement. Rep. Waltz simply believes he has the background we need in a critical ally, given we are in the midst of the largest European land invasion since World War II, China is openly threatening Taiwan, Iran is on the brink of a nuclear weapon, North Korea may already have an operational ICBM, and international terrorism now has a caliphate in Afghanistan,” a spokesman for Waltz told the Washington Examiner.
Other members of Congress linked Johnson’s exit with political turbulence in the U.S., arguing that the rapid loss of confidence he incurred among both lawmakers and the British public ought to serve as a warning for politicians back home.
“Leaders of democratic nations suffer real consequences when they lose the support of the people who elect them,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told the Washington Examiner. “That’s the way the system is designed to work, and I hope the American people will look to Prime Minister Johnson’s resignation as an example of what can happen when an elected leader fails to serve the interests of the country’s citizens.”
But several downplayed the prime minister’s exit, expressing hope that it could mean a return of steadiness to a country that has been rocked by political upheaval in the waning months of Johnson’s leadership.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told the Washington Examiner that despite Johnson’s resignation, he thought the Conservative Party was in a “good position” to elect a new leader and quickly move on from scandals surrounding the outgoing prime minister.
“British resignations don’t mean much, and the reappointment process is much quicker,” Issa noted. Issa later added that the Labor Party, Britain’s largest opposition party, “hasn’t remotely proved to the British people its readiness to govern.”
And Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe, said that he expected Johnson’s exit would bring “greater stability” to the country’s political system. Keating also said that he hoped a change in leadership would allow Britain to foster “stronger ties” with the European Union — a thinly veiled swipe at the outspokenly pro-Brexit Johnson, who led his party to victory in Britain’s last general election largely on the promise of finally completing the nation’s tumultuous divorce with the European Union.
I trust that Prime Minister Johnson’s resignation will bring greater stability as the UK transitions in the coming months.
— Congressman Bill Keating (@USRepKeating) July 7, 2022
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) also weighed in on Johnson’s departure as prime minister.
“I’ve met with him and feel bad about his leaving. I think he’s been a strong voice for U.S. and U.K. partnership and on Ukraine,” Bacon said.
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) echoed expectations that a new prime minister would work to restore a sense of political constancy in Britain, telling the Washington Examiner that he hoped Johnson’s successor “will be able to restore long-term stability to Great Britain’s government.”
“A strong United Kingdom is essential to the strength and security of the western world,” Zeldin noted.
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Pincher resigned as a government whip in 2017 after being accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward Alex Story, a former Olympic rower and Conservative parliamentary candidate. Before he named Pincher his deputy chief whip, Johnson was allegedly briefed on a wide slate of additional accusations made against Pincher, including claims of unwanted sexual advances by fellow members of Parliament and an accusation that he groped a man at a gay bar in 2019.
Pincher stepped aside as deputy chief whip last week after admitting to having “drunk far too much” and allegedly groping two men at a private members’ club in London. While Johnson eventually admitted that appointing Pincher was a “mistake,” his efforts to stay on as prime minister became untenable after large swaths of his own party revolted against him, demanding that he step down.
