Liz Truss has been declared the new occupant of Number 10, so where will Boris Johnson live now and what will he do next?
All eyes are on new PM Liz Truss, as the former Foreign Secretary takes up office following a long and heated Tory leadership contest. The public are keen to know more about the country's new leader, from her political views to her home life and if she has children.
Much like people have been asking where is Rishi Sunak now, her competitor in the Tory leadership race, Liz Truss' appointment has many wondering what will come of the former PM and how much are ex-Prime Ministers paid? He'll have to vacate his Downing Street flat, leaving many wondering: where will Boris Johnson live now?
Where will Boris Johnson live now?
Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson, have reportedly bought a five-bedroom family home on the border of Herne Hill and Dulwich Village in south east London.
According to iNews, properties in the area routinely sell for more than £3m. Dulwich Village is home to top-end private schools, recherché boutiques and offers the suburban seclusion needed to raise the Johnsons' two children - two-year-old Wilf and eight-month-old Romy - while being just a 30 minute commute from Westminster.
Nearby Herne Hill recorded the sixth-highest remain vote in the country during the 2016 EU referendum, while the surrounding constituency, Dulwich and West Norwood, elected Labour MP Helen Hayes to Parliament in the last election, with the Green Party candidate coming in second.
As one local put it when talking to the i "I can see Carrie fitting right in – everyone with kids has a dog, we’re not far from Dulwich Park, but we all read The Guardian and voted against Brexit round here, I think Boris might feel like a fish out of water."
Why did Boris Johnson resign?
Boris Johnson decided to step down after a slew of ministers resigned under his leadership. He announced his resignation on 7 July, though remained in office until the new PM was appointed on 6 September.
His resignation came shortly after the former Conservative deputy chief whip Chris Pincher was accused by two men of drunkenly groping them, which led to a flurry of other allegations. Initially, Downing Street said that Boris Johnson had not been aware of any of the allegations against Pincher before appointing him, but it was later revealed that this was not true, with Mr Johnson then admitting he had been told in 2019, and apologising for appointing Pincher as deputy chief whip.
The scandal was one of several that had weakened Boris Johnson's leadership in the months leading up to his resignation. Others included partygate - which saw the former PM fined for breaking lockdown rules in June 2020 - and the Owen Paterson row. Then-Conservative MP Owen Paterson had broken lobbying rules to try to benefit companies who paid him, resulting in a House of Commons committee recommending a 30-day suspension. However, the PM was at the helm of a decision to instead set up a new committee to look at how investigations were carried out. After fury over this decision in the House of Commons, Owen Paterson resigned.
My statement today: pic.twitter.com/gZocV3WIwSNovember 4, 2021
How long was Boris Johnson Prime Minister for?
Boris Johnson was Prime Minister for just over three years. He first took office on 24 July 2019 and left on 6 September 2022.
Johnson was first appointed as PM after Theresa May resigned and he won the ensuing Tory leadership contest, beating runner up Jeremy Hunt by 92,153 votes to 46,656.
A few months after taking office, Johnson called a general election to cement his leadership, which the Conservative Party won with 43.6% of the vote and a large majority of 80 seats.
By the time Johnson resigned, this majority had dwindled slightly after the Conservatives lost a number of by-elections.
In his resignation speech, Boris Johnson said he was sad to be giving up 'the best job in the world', adding "I want to thank you the British public for the immense privilege you have given me and I want you to know that from now until the new Prime Minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on."
What will Boris Johnson do next?
Boris Johnson is still a sitting MP for his constituency Uxbridge and South Ruislip. After leaving office, it is likely he will return to the backbenches.
He has also made his name in the world of journalism, and before becoming Prime Minister he made £275,000 a year from his column for the Daily Telegraph. In recent weeks, he has been writing articles for the Daily Mail.
Boris Johnson is also expected to take up jobs as a public speaker and may even finish off a book he's supposed to be writing, Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius. According to the FT, he was paid an advance of £88,000 to write the book in May 2015, but was forced to shelve the project due to his commitments in politics.
Could Boris Johnson make a comeback?
Rumours have been circulating that Boris Johnson may attempt to make a political comeback, partly fuelled by his own resignation speech, in which he said "mission largely accomplished, for now."
Professor Bale, who has written a history of the Conservative Party, told BBC News that a return couldn't be ruled out, but added "It would make me seriously worried about the future of the Conservative Party if they returned to Boris Johnson."
Lord Edward Lister, a close ally of Johnson, told Sky News that he would 'never write him off' when asked if he thought Boris Johnson would make a comeback.
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