BYE, BORIS - U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation on Thursday has sparked strong reaction from many in the commercial legal industry, with several slamming his handling of the past bombshell week in U.K. politics, Law.com International’s Varsha Patel and Rose Walker report. “Good riddance”, a London partner at a U.K. top 50 firm said, adding that it is “intolerable for the rule of law and for economic certainty to have a liar as Prime Minister.” Johnson’s decision came after a week mired by sexual harassment scandals involving Conservative MP Chris Pincher and Johnson’s handling of the fallout from the alleged incidents. But Johnson’s resignation also follows a string of other scandals under his leadership. In April, more than two-thirds of senior U.K. lawyers said Johnson should resign following the “partygate” scandal. Some have similarly strong views now, as the fast-moving situation means the U.K. faces an uncertain period, amid a slow period of economic growth and spiraling living costs. Norton Rose Fulbright partner Paul Stothard said: “Johnson is shameless, otherwise he would have resigned after it was clear that he’d lost the majority of his backbenchers. It is an enormous relief that the he has now gone. Our unwritten constitution has proved capable of withstanding another significant test, not because Johnson has any respect for it but because there are still enough of his colleagues that do.”
WHAT YOU SAID
“We were helping people who were hurting people.”
