BORIS Johnson cannot understand where it all went wrong. Or rather, he does not care to.
In a resignation speech outside Number 10, that made frighteningly little mention of him actually leaving his post, the outgoing Prime Minister showed no remorse and offered no apology for having to be dragged kicking and screaming from Downing Street.
On hand to offer moral support were the smattering of MPs yet to turn their backs on Mr Johnson, including the ever-loyal Scottish Secretary of State Alister Jack.
But, in his usual bombastic fashion, Mr Johnson appeared to need little moral support as he glossed over the carnage of the past few days, weeks and months, and sought to shift blame onto his colleagues' revolt.
The only hint of a sorry in his speech was stating he suffered from “regret” that he failed to convince his most loyal nodding dogs to back him at all costs.
The reality is, the Prime Minister has been attempting to swat away scandal after scandal since the Owen Paterson fiasco emerged back in October.
Over the last nine months, he has faced a flurry of calls to quit, from inside and outside his own party – but has been overwhelmed with a belief that he had a "clear mandate" to cling to power.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson resigns: Prime Minister quits 'best job in the world'
So finally acknowledging that “no-one is remotely indispensable” would make you think the PM has finally admitted he cannot go on.
But Mr Johnson’s wild take on reality was summed up in his speech, bizarrely claiming that bids to oust him by Tory MPs have been “eccentric”.
Instead, he blamed the “herd instinct” for his once loyal MPs jumping on the bandwagon of attempts to evict him from No 10 – yet not a hint that he deserved any of this.
The PM acknowledged “many people” will be “relieved” to see him let go of the keys to Downing Street – with a series of damaging scandals, many directly involving him, likely to be his lasting legacy.
READ MORE: Tories push back on Boris Johnson's plans to stay in office until October
Mr Johnson has made a desperate attempt to sway that narrative – pointing to what he claimed was “reclaiming the power” for the UK by pushing through Brexit, as well as overseeing the “fastest vaccine rollout in Europe” and “leading the West in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine”.
But the irony of shaping his legacy was clearly lost on a man who has given up his dignity by refusing to leave office despite everyone inside and outside the Westminster bubble knowing the writing was on the wall.
Mr Johnson’s excruciating bid to see off the partygate scandal and his obsession to cling onto power no matter what is surely what the British public will remember him for.
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