Boris Johnson signs off as UK Prime Minister, tells successor focus on British people not Twitter

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Boris Johnson bids farewell as UK Prime Minister, tells successor focus on British people not Twitter

Boris Johnson gives his farewell as UK Prime Minister to Parliament and tells his successor to focus on serving the British people, not on cultivating a Twitter reputation.

Giving his farewell address to Parliament on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his eventual successor that they must not forget to govern for the sake of the people, not for how they’ll be perceived on Twitter. 

Johnson, the head of the U.K.’s Conservative Party who served as Britain’s prime minister for three years, gave his final "Prime Minister’s Questions" address to his colleagues and political opponents in Parliament. 

He began his final statement to the raucous governing body by claiming he wanted to give some "words of advice to my successor whoever he or she may be. "

He laid out his advice, beginning with, "Number one, stay close with the Americans, stick up for the Ukrainians, stick up for freedom and democracy everywhere."

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his farewell as Prime Minister to Parliament on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

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He then advised that his successor "Cut taxes and deregulate wherever you can to make this the greatest place to live and invest, which it is." He then quipped about the British Treasury, stating, "I love the Treasury, but remember, that if we’d always listen to the Treasury, we wouldn’t have built the M25 [The London Orbital Motorway] or the Channel tunnel."

He also encouraged his successor to champion progress, so long as they don’t eschew tradition. "Focus on the road ahead, but always remember to check the rearview mirror," he said, eliciting laughter from his colleagues.

Johnson followed that up by stressing the incoming Prime Minister’s responsibility to the people of the U.K., not his or her Twitter following or social media image.

He claimed, "And remember, remember above all, it’s not Twitter that counts, it’s the people that sent us here." The jeering of Johnson’s political opponents turned to cheers on that line.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament on Wednesday that getting the country through the pandemic was one of his best accomplishments. (AP) (Associated Press)

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Johnson closed out his short address with gratitude for his position. "And yes, the last few years have been the greatest privilege of my life," he said before selling a few of his accomplishments.

"And it’s true that I helped to get the biggest Tory majority for 40 years and a huge realignment in U.K. politics, Mr. Speaker. We’ve transformed our democracy and restored our national independence," he added, referencing Brexit.

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Johnson also touted that during his time as Prime Minister he "helped get this country through a pandemic and helped save another country from barbarism"– that country being Ukraine.

"And frankly that’s enough to be going on with," he said, before thanking the members of Parliament and signing off with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s quote from Terminator. "Hasta la vista, baby!" he exclaimed before exiting the chamber to a round of applause. 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a resignation speech outside 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday, July 7, 2022. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)