# Boris steps down - who will be the next British Prime Minister? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 7, 2022, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538 "2022-07-07T08:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/181 "2022-08-02T17:18:37Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > It’s like having to choose between herpes or IBS At least there are drugs you can take for those. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/182 "2022-08-02T21:13:08Z")
I’m not super familiar with Liz Truss “in action.” I’ve read a lot of articles about her and the leadership race, but not seen much video of her. But in the videos I have seen, she comes across as a complete moron. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/183 "2022-08-03T06:27:40Z")
I’m old enough for the lot of them to look like overly self-important adolescents. It may just be an age thing, but there are few, if any, who have the heft, substance and “hinterland” of so many of the politicians of decades ago. This lot seem barely worth a footnote in the history books. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/184 "2022-08-03T07:39:35Z")
I agree, they are a bunch of party hacks. This government is obsessed with its own internal conflicts. Measuring each other by their commitment to antagonising the EU, deporting refugees and lowering tax by borrowing and cutting public services. These isolationist policies are, apparently, going to be good for the country. Because it will convince the rest of the world that the UK is keen on international trade deals. This is absurd. How they hope to grow the economy and develop good trade relations and promote ‘Global Britain’ when the obsession of the Conservatives is all about withdrawal from existing international commitments. This huge contradiction has not gone unnoticed. The Conservatives are electing their next Prime Minister hamstrung by Brexit policies at a time when the country is facing huge economic challenges. Can these hacks turn away from their party squabbles and lead the country away from a growing crisis? Rhetorical flourishes for the party faithful are not going to keep the lights on this winter. I expect there will be a General Election within a year. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/185 "2022-08-03T07:43:57Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > Can these hacks turn away from their party squabbles and lead the country away from a growing crisis? I know where my money is. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/186 "2022-08-03T12:17:50Z")
Weird, surprising the polls are so variable: > **[60% of Tory members prefer Liz Truss for next PM](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/truss-extends-lead-over-sunak-in-tory-leadership-race-3pksqstpp)** > > Liz Truss has extended her lead over Rishi Sunak to 34 points in the Tory leadership race, with 60 per cent of party members now saying they will vote for the foreign secretary to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister. And almost 9 out of 10 have made up their mind. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/187 "2022-08-03T12:39:19Z")
Given the (lack of) quality of both Conservative front-runners, we may see the same phenomenon sometimes seen here in Canada in a similar parliamentary system. Party elects useless leader; party loses miserably in the general election; useless leader forced to resign; process starts all over again. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/188 "2022-08-03T16:16:25Z")
And the problem is, if they lose, the pool of likely successors is reduced. Much as I would like the Tories to be squished for a generation, it can’t be good for democracy to see them reduced to too much ineffectuality, and domination by the remaining backwoodsmen. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/189 "2022-08-03T16:58:54Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Much as I would like the Tories to be squished for a generation, it can’t be good for democracy to see them reduced to too much ineffectuality, and domination by the remaining backwoodsmen. Why couldn’t the two major parties in England be Labour and Liberal Democrats with Tories being a distant third? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538/190 "2022-08-03T17:14:32Z")
Where I grew up, in a poor part of the “black country” (picture Peaky Blinders and you’re not far off), “Tory” was basically a synonym for “evil”. But I never bought into it; I thought many of their economic plans made sense, and I have voted for them several times. But now? They are saying they want to expand the Rwanda deporting thing, that the first minister of Scotland should be “ignored” i.e. casually putting two fingers up to all of Scotland. Saying taking the knee is just virtue signalling. And accusing each other of being “project fear”, not acknowledging how much of “project fear” has turned out to be true (e.g. a no-deal Brexit was once called project fear), and the harm that all that misinformation caused. And all this after the various disgraces of BJ (ok, those initials are a bit rude, I should use his full name: Blowjob de Pfeffel Twat). Genuinely they look like the cartoon villains that people always told me they were. We need to get them to get the hell out, ASAP. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boris-steps-down-who-will-be-the-next-british-prime-minister/967538.md?page=9)