As the Covid-19 Inquiry delivers a blistering verdict on the Partygate PM’s handling of the pandemic which cost thousands of lives, we look at what he’s been up to since leaving politics behind
Boris Johnson shot up the political ranks when he made it as Prime Minister, but his lies while in power soon overshadowed his “bumbling clown” persona.
During Johnson’s three years as leader, the UK quit the EU, saw life turned upside down with the spread of deadly coronavirus, and spearheaded Western support for Ukraine. But now the Covid-19 Inquiry has delivered a damming verdict on Partygate PM’s handling of the pandemic which cost thousands of lives.
The biggest public inquiry in British history branded government inaction “inexcusable” and said it was repeatedly slow to bring in restrictions, costing thousands of lives and making full lockdowns necessary. Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett found the Johnson and his chief adviser Dominic Cummings presided over a “toxic culture” and said “rule-breaking was not swiftly addressed” causing people to abandon lockdown rules.
READ MORE: Matt Hancock’s jammy life since lewd CCTV snog – normal job, new lover and cash bonanzaREAD MORE: Covid Inquiry concludes Boris Johnson’s late lockdowns killed thousands
It makes for painful reading for those across the country who were robbed of precious final moments with their dying loved ones as they stuck to the rules. In June 2023, Johnson announced he had quit his job as an MP with immediate effect, following a probe into whether he misled Parliament over Partygate – a political scandal that engulfed the Tories and heavily contributed to his downfall as PM.
Since then, he has written an eye-raising memoir about his time in office, fathered two more children and enjoyed plenty of swanky holidays with his wife Carrie. As Johnson’s failings during the pandemic are laid bare, we take a look at his cushty life now…
Six-figure allowance
While ex-Prime Ministers don’t get a salary after leaving No10, they can claim an allowance. It is called the Public Duty Cost Allowance (PDCDA) and is worth up to £115,000 a year. As set out on the Cabinet Office website, the PDCA was introduced to assist former prime ministers still active in public life. The rule means that Johnson can claim the six-figure allowance.
As well as this, outgoing PMs are also able to claim ministerial severance pay of £18,860 when leaving office. Since he left his role as MP, Johnson no longer has to record his earnings. Before he stood down, he registered more than £5million since leaving No10, including a string of highly-paid speeches and a £510,000 advance to write his memoir. Meanwhile, he will be entitled to both an MP and ministerial pension eventually.
Bizarre memoir
Shameless Johnson release a self-serving memoir last October in a desperate bid to rehabilitate his image. The book, called Unleashed, saw him whine about the treatment he received when he was axed by his own MPs. He also rowed back on his Partygate apology – a move that infuriated millions who stuck to the rules during the Covid crisis. He also delivered childish jibes at Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Theresa May and claimed the late Queen was suffering from bone cancer before her death.
But the Partygate PM, who was given a £510,000 advance for his book, had his hopes dashed of having a bestseller after a gut health recipe guide beat him to the top spot. The book sold around 42,000 copies in its opening week in October – around half the 92,000 Tony Blair sold of his memoir A Journey in its opening week in 2010.
And just last month, Johnson admitted he uses artificial intelligence to help write his books. The self-obsessed politician said he appreciates it when ChatGPT – an AI chatbot – calls him “clever” and “brilliant”
In an interview with AI Arabiya’s English channel, Mr Johnson said: “One thing that really encourages me is AI. I love AI. I love ChatGPT. I love it. ChatGPT is fantastic. It’s so nice. I’m writing various books. I just use it. I just ask questions. You know the answer… ChatGPT always says: ‘Oh, your questions are clever. You’re brilliant. You’re excellent.'”
Lavish holidays with Carrie and kids
Dad-of-eight Boris has welcomed two children with his wife Carrie since stepping down from politics, with the couple now sharing four children in total. Frank Arthur Odysseus was born in July 2023, while the couple had Poppy Eliza Josephine on May 24 of this year.
The couple are often spotted on lavish getaways, with trips to countries incuding Saudi Arabia, Spain, Slovenia. They also enjoy staycations in parts of the UK like Studland Bay.
This summer, he was snapped knocking back cocktails and letting his hair down on a luxury family holiday in Greece. The ex-PM was joined by wife Carrie and their four children on the paradise island of Euboea. Stripping off to his swimming shorts, Johnson enjoyed a dip in the sea to cool down from the heat. He then relaxed on the beach, munching a packet of crisps and indulging in some cocktails.
And just last week, Carrie posted a montage of family photos from their trip closer to home, along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. She wrote: “We stayed at The Pig on the beach. I’ve stayed at quite a few of The Pig Hotels now and they are all incredible. Not just the comfiest beds and the best food but the nicest team of people too.” Rooms at The Pig, a swanky hotel chain across the UK, start from around £185 a night.
She added: “Poppy is going through a stage where she gets separation anxiety if she can’t see me for even a second which can sometimes make getting anything done v tricky so it felt really amazing to be able to do so much with her in tow. She loved all the fresh air and was cosy sleeping in her carrier rucksack while we hiked up hill. Would have felt sad to come home but had my three older kids sitting on the foot of the stairs in their pjs waiting for us to come through the front door.”
New media jobs
It was announced in November 2023 that the former Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP would be joining GB News to share his “unvarnished views on everything from Russia and China to the war in Ukraine“. The ex-PM said he would be providing “some great British television”. He joined Conservative MPs Philip Davies, Lee Anderson, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Esther McVey, who all present on the channel. However, 10 months after the new gig was announced, Johnson was still nowhere to be seen on the channel, with insiders claiming that he got cold feet over being associated with the network.
He also landed a new job as a columnist for the Daily Mail, just days after he quit as MP. Johnson was found to have committed a “clear and unambiguous” breach of rules by taking up the new role, as former ministers are not permitted to take up or announce new appointments until the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments has been able to provide advice – a process Johnson brazenly flouted. The contract was said to be worth £1million.
Elsewhere, Johnson flew to Ukraine to receive an honorary degree last September. The former PM was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, which translates to “for the sake of honour”. He was a supporter of Kyiv during his time at No10 and was welcomed by the Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi who described Johnson as “a great friend of Ukraine”.
And just last month, the Brexit champion headed to Washington to speak at a conference for the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).
Ostrich fight
Earlier this year, Johnson was captured on camera squawking in pain as he’s bitten by an ostrich through his car window. Carrie posted a hilarious clip this morning showing him swearing and yelling in pain after the flightless bird walked up to their car during a trip to a wildlife park in Texas.
In the video, which Mrs Johnson uploaded to Instagram, the ostrich can be seen walking towards the car while her husband cuddles with one of their children, who excitedly exclaims as it approaches.
But the cute family scene turns ugly in less than a second after the ostrich pounces, with Mr Johnson heard shouting “ow” as it appears to lightly peck at his hand. He can then be heard swearing in the background as his son chuckles. Mrs Johnson shared the video saying it was “too funny” not to post.
Weird vlogs
Johnson took the plunge and joined TikTok in 2022, but it didn’t go down very well on the platform. In his first video promoting his page, he said: “You’ll get all sorts of messages and content that you might not get if you’re looking at Instagram or Snapchat or Facebook, Twitter.” But his video was flooded with comments calling for him to resign, and their wish came true when he stepped down from Government.
However, the TikTok debacle hasn’t stopped Johnson from utilising social media. He’s become renowned for filming vlog-style videos for Instagram, often showing him travelling in the back of a car. Other strange clips show him stood awkwardly with his infamous ruffled hair, promoting his public speaking events or marking events like VE Day.
Prince Harry confession
In his memoir, Johnson revealed that as he was Prime Minister at the time of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the UK for North America, he urged the Duke of Sussex not to give up his royal duties. Senior officials from Whitehall and the Royal household reportedly asked Boris to give Prince Harry a “manly pep talk” in January 2020 as the Duke considered leaving the UK – a place where he has voiced concerns about invasions of his privacy and attacks on his family.
In his book, Johnson describes the incident as “a ridiculous business… when they made me try to persuade Harry to stay. Kind of manly pep talk. Totally hopeless.” It’s been revealed that a “manly pep talk” took place between then-35-year-old Prince Harry and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is 20 years his senior, at the UK-Africa investment summit in London.