Boris Johnson becomes UK Prime Minister

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Johnson waves from the steps of No. 10 Downing Street after giving a speech in London.

As the sun sets on Boris Johnson’s first day as Prime Minister, protests outside Downing Street have grown quiet and the whirlwind of firings and hirings has slowed.

Our live coverage has ended for the day, but you can scroll through the posts below to catch up, or read more here.

In his first comments as Foreign Minister, Dominic Raab addressed both Brexit and Iran.

On Brexit:

On Iran:

Raab has inherited a mounting crisis with Iran. Last week, Tehran seized a British-flagged oil tanker, after authorities from the UK and Gibraltar had previously seized an Iranian tanker.

Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has described Iran’s action as “state piracy” and said the UK would take part in a Europe-led maritime protection mission in the Strait of Hormuz.

Ireland’s Taoiseach, or prime minister, Leo Varadkar, said he wanted to hear Johnson put some “flesh on the bones” over claims he made in his speech outside Downing Street earlier today.

Speaking on state broadcaster RTÉ, Varadkar said the Irish Government is looking forward to working with Johnson on Brexit, bilateral relations and Northern Ireland – but that confidence and enthusiasm were not a substitute for proper European policy.

One of the sticking points in the Brexit debate is that the UK’s departure from the EU could mean the reintroduction of border posts on the frontier between Northern Ireland, which is in the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which is a EU member. Border infrastructure was often targeted by Irish nationalist paramilitaries during the “Troubles” – the 40-year sectarian conflict in which more than 3,500 people died.

The current Brexit deal, as it stands, states that neither side can unilaterally leave the backstop, an insurance policy designed to avoid the hard border. The EU has repeatedly ruled out renegotiating the terms of the current withdrawal deal to revisit this agreement.

This has infuriated hard-line Brexiteers, who hate the idea that the EU would hold a power of veto over the UK on that issue, and worry that the UK will never “properly” leave the bloc. They want to be free of the EU customs union, in order to forge international trade deals without the hindrance of European regulations on issues like agriculture, fisheries, food standards and the environment.

“Never mind the backstop, the buck stops here,” said Johnson on Wednesday, vowing to take “personal responsibility” for seeing Brexit through.

Varadkar, however, said that a new Brexit deal between Britain and the EU will not happen. “Listening to what he (Johnson) said today, I got the impression that he wasn’t just talking about deleting the backstop, he was talking about a whole new deal, a better deal for Britain, that’s not going to happen.”

Varadkar added that the suggestion that a whole new Brexit deal could be negotiated in weeks or months was “not in the real world.”

Dominic Raab has been appointed the new Foreign Secretary and the First Secretary of State, effectively making him Deputy Prime Minister. He replaces Jeremy Hunt.

Priti Patel is the new British Home Secretary. She replaces Sajid Javid.

Sajid Javid is the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He replaces Phillip Hammond.

Stephen Barclay has been appointed the Brexit Secretary, retaining the role he had in Theresa May’s cabinet.

Ben Wallace is the new Secretary of State for Defense, replacing Penny Mordaun.  

Elizabeth Truss has been appointed International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade. She replaces Liam Fox.

Matt Hancock retains his post as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Michael Gove is the new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, replacing David Liddington.

Theresa Villiers has been appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She replaces Michael Gove.

Gavin Williamson, is the new Secretary of State for Education. He replaces Damian Hinds.

Andrea Leadsom has been appointed Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Minister. She replaces Greg Clark.

Sajid Javid has been appointed Britain’s finance minister, known in the UK as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In response to Javid’s appointment, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who leads the opposition party’s policy on finance, wrote on Twitter: “Javid has consistently called for more tax cuts for the banks and corporations. So from the outset it’s clear that this is a government by the bankers and for the bankers.”

A number of cabinet members have been sacked or have resigned after Johnson’s victory.

Here are the departures so far:

Jeremy Hunt, former Foreign Secretary

Penny Mordaunt, former Defense Secretary

Greg Clark, former Business Secretary

Liam Fox, former International Development Secretary

Philip Hammond, former Chancellor of the Exchequer

Damian Hinds, former Education Secretary

James Brokenshire, former Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary

Rory Stewart, former Secretary for International Development

Karen Bradley, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 

David Liddington, former Secretary of State for Justice

David Gauke, former UK Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor

The May-Johnson transition is the biggest reshuffling of Cabinet ministers to happen in more than a decade, according to an analysis of ministerial databases by the Institute for Government, a London-based independent think tank.

The Ministers’ section of UK government’s website currently reads: “This page is currently being updated.”

In a statement responding to Johnson’s speech, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said:

“After nine years of cuts to our schools, police and councils, the country deserves better than Boris Johnson’s empty bluster.

“The new Prime Minister’s priority is more tax giveaways for the richest and big businesses, not support for our public services.

“The Prime Minister has no plan for Brexit and is staking everything on a sweetheart trade deal with Donald Trump which would risk the takeover of our NHS by US corporations.

“A Labour government can stop Boris Johnson and bring an end to austerity, tackle the climate emergency and invest in our communities. We need a general election and a Labour government that works for the many, not the privileged few.”

Jeremy Hunt, who was defeated by Johnson in the Tory leadership race, will not continue in his role as Foreign Secretary.

He’s also turned down a new ministerial post offered to him by Johnson.

Hunt tweeted: “I would have been honored to carry on my work at FCO but understand the need for a new PM to choose his team. BJ kindly offered me another role. But after 9 years in cabinet and over 300 cabinet meetings, now is the time to return to backbenches from where PM will have full support. “

He added that he’s decided to now focus on the “biggest challenge of all - to be a GOOD DAD!”

Vladimir Putin has sent a congratulatory message to Britain’s new PM.

“The interests of our countries and peoples would be met by the development of relations in the most diverse spheres,” said the Russian President.

Last month, at the G20 in Osaka, Japan, Putin and former PM Theresa May had a frosty meeting after May asked for the Russian men that Britain blames for a high-profile poisoning to be brought to justice.

Relations between the nations have been strained since March 2018, when former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found slumped on a bench in the English city of Salisbury, after being exposed to Novichok, a military grade nerve agent. 

May told Putin that any attempt to rekindle relations would be put on hold until “Russia stops the irresponsible and destabilizing activity” such as “hostile interventions in other countries, disinformation and cyber attacks,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Last month, CNN reported that the UK is investigating alleged Russian links to the Brexit campaign.

Liam Fox, the Secretary of State for International Trade, has left the government. Fox was responsible for negotiating the UK’s trade deals around the globe.

On Twitter, Fox said that the trade department leaves the UK “uniquely well-positioned to forge our new tradition relationships beyond Europe and create a truly Global Britain. But we must first undertake the momentous task of delivering on the instruction of the British people and leave the EU.”

He added that he looks forward to supporting Johnson from the back benches.

Business Secretary Greg Clark announced his departure shortly after Fox. 

He wrote on Twitter that Johnson is “right to appoint a new team for a new premiership.”

Clark has been vocally opposed to a no-deal Brexit. 

Penny Mordaunt, Theresa May’s Defense Secretary, has resigned from her post moments after Boris Johnson’s appointment as Prime Minister. She’s said on Twitter that she will be “heading to the backbenches.”

That’s a slightly more unexpected departure than those of moderate Conservatives who quit earlier in the day.

Eagle-eyed followers of today’s proceedings have noticed a Dyson fan in the background of the photos showing Boris Johnson meeting the Queen.

It’s hard to blame the Queen, who’s 93, for trying to keep cool – London is baking in 33C (91 degree Fahrenheit) heat on Wednesday. She might wish she could be at her summer retreat Balmoral, in the Scottish Highlands, where the weather is far more manageable.

Now, bear with us – we may be scraping the barrel here – but Dyson’s inventor, James Dyson, is a leading Brexiteer and has spoken on several occasions of his desire for a hard Brexit.

Could the Queen be sending a secret message? Is she a fan of Brexit? Does she feel leaving the EU will be a breath of fresh air, giving Britain a second wind? If so, she’ll surely be fanning the flames of Remainers around the country.

Or is she just a 93-year-old woman trying to keep cool in a heat wave? Perhaps we’ll never know.

Thursday – Johnson’s first full day as leader – could be the hottest day in British history, according to the Met Office.

Given that Johnson divides the British public like no other politician, that will be taken either to mean a glorious new dawn in the country or its unstoppable descent into hell. But definitely nothing in between.

As the UK’s new Prime Minister stood outside the famous black door of 10 Downing Street, addressing the public for the first time as leader, he made clear that bringing Britain together was his intention.

Johnson opened by saying that pessimists “at home and abroad” had created an impression that the UK had become a “prisoner” to the divisions Brexit created in 2016.

His message was simple: “The critics are wrong … the gloomsters will be wrong again.”

He said that to give the UK the shot in the arm it needs, he would immediately get working on key issues that divide the citizens he now works for. He talked about reforming social care, investing in education, putting more police on the streets and making the National Health Service work more for the people of the country.

It’s certainly true that if these issues were fixed, the United Kingdom would become, well, more united.

Indeed, Theresa May, Johnson’s predecessor, said similar things when she stood on the steps of Downing Street three years ago.

But then Brexit happened – or didn’t, more specifically. The UK’s failure to agree how it will leave the EU has sucked all oxygen from politics and pushed all other policy out the way.

It has made the UK virtually ungovernable.

All Johnson had to say on Brexit was that it would happen on October 31, “no ifs, no buts,” and that with a new optimistic outlook, the UK would get a brand new deal from Europe.

Given that the EU has repeatedly said this won’t happen, this might be wishful thinking. Which leaves us with option two in the “no ifs or buts” scenario: no deal.

Boris Johnson might be optimistic today. But he faces all the same problems as Theresa May when it comes to Brexit.

Soon, Johnson will have to pick between the softer, pragmatic Brexiteers and the hardliners who want no deal.

Until now, he has been able to promise everyone the world. But with just 99 days to sort out Brexit, Johnson’s honeymoon period could be over before his premiership gets going. And if he gets this wrong, his premiership could be over before you know it.

“Let’s get going now,” Johnson says, listing a number of technological accomplishments he wants to achieve.

“And yes, let’s start now on those free trade deals,” he adds. “All this and more we can do now and only now at this extraordinary moment in our history.”

He attacks May’s tenure, albeit not by name, as “three years of unfounded self doubt.”

“That work begins now. Thank you very much,” he says, wrapping up a speech he’s waited his entire career to make, before posing in front of the door to Number 10 alone and waving to reporters.

Johnson then enters the building as the 77th prime minister of the United Kingdom.

“In the end, Brexit was a fundamental decision by the British people,” Johnson says, adding that the UK will pursue a close partnership with the EU.

He thanks the 3 million EU nationals in the UK, assuring they will have “the absolute certainty of the right to live and remain.”

“I am convinced we can do a deal” on Brexit, Johnson says.

“It is of course vital at the same time that we prepare for the remote possibility that Brussels refuses any further to negotiate,” he says. “It is only common sense to prepare.”

“With high hearts and growing confidence,” Britain will prepare for no deal, he says. Using typically Churchillian rhetoric, he says the banks, the farms and the rest of the country “will be ready.”

“Yes, there will be difficulties,” he admits. But he adds the UK’s inability to make a Brexit decision has sapped the confidence of business.

“Do not underestimate our country,” he adds.

“We aren’t going to wait 99 days because the British people have had enough of waiting,” Johnson says, in a combative and confident first statement as Prime Minister.

“My job is to serve you, the people,” he says. “The people are our bosses.

“My job is to make your streets safer, and we’re going to begin with another 20,000 new police on the streets,” he says. Johnson adds there will be 20 new hospital upgrades, and that “we will fix the crisis of social care once and for all.”

He says he will be a prime minister for all of the United Kingdom – the “awesome foursome” of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Boris Johnson walked to the podium outside Downing Street to applause from his staff.

“I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen who has invited me to form a government, and I have accepted.”

Johnson pays tribute to May’s “deep sense of public service.”

“But in spite of all her efforts it has become clear that there are pessimists” in the country who believe Brexit cannot be delivered, Johnson says.

“Those critics are wrong. The doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters, they are going to get it wrong again.

“The people who bet against Britain are going to loose their shirts,” Johnson says, adding Britain will leave the EU in October, “no ifs, no buts.”

Boris Johnson has arrived at Downing Street and is making his first remarks as Prime Minister.

The Royal Family has tweeted another image of Johnson with the Queen, and confirmed he has been asked to form a new government.