Boris Johnson’s downfall has been received as a reason for hope in Brussels and Dublin, after relations between the UK and the EU hit a historic low point under his premiership.
Given the difficulties over the last two and a half years, there was a dearth of the usual diplomatic platitudes from European capitals, although Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy did express his “sadness” in a call.
Ireland’s taoiseach, Micheál Martin, expressed personal sympathy to Johnson but used the moment to call on the government to respect international law and the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland.
In a statement issued moments after Johnson spoke outside No 10 Downing Street, Martin suggested the prime minister’s resignation presented an opportunity for a reset.
He said: “Prime Minister Johnson has led the British government during an especially challenging period, including dealing with the impact of Covid-19 and the response to the war on Ukraine. From a personal perspective, I am conscious that he has been through a difficult few weeks and I extend my best wishes to him and his family for the future, following the announcement of his resignation.
“While Prime Minister Johnson and I engaged actively together, we didn’t always agree, and the relationship between our governments has been strained and challenged in recent times.”
Johnson has tabled legislation that would override a treaty agreed two and half years ago with Brussels over the post-Brexit relationship between Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK and the EU. Privately, Irish diplomats have said Anglo-Irish relations have rarely been worse.
“Our joint responsibilities concerning stewardship of the Good Friday agreement, as well as nurturing broader bilateral relations between us, require us to work together in a spirit of respect, trust and partnership,” Martin said. “That is more important than ever today and I would once again urge a pulling back from unilateral action, whether that be on dealing with the legacy of the past, human rights or the Northern Ireland protocol.”
Johnson’s former Brexit sparring partner Michel Barnier, who led the EU’s negotiating team, tweeted: “The departure of Boris Johnson opens a new page in relations with the UK. May it be more constructive, more respectful of commitments made, in particular regarding peace & stability in NI, and more friendly with partners in the EU. Because there’s so much more to be done together.”
The Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald, said Johnson’s Ireland policies had been “wholly negative” and he would not be missed.
Bernd Lange, a German MEP and chair of the European parliament’s trade committee, was typically uncompromising. “Finally”, he said. “End of an undignified spectacle. Boris Johnson was all about maintaining power and his own ego … Now, British theatrical thunder should end.”
While Johnson boasted in his resignation speech on the steps of Downing Street about “settling our relations with the continent”, EU sources consider the relationship has reached a post-Brexit nadir.
“It would definitely be a low point,” one EU diplomat said. “It’s very difficult to see how things could be worse than they were under Boris Johnson. Trust has been eroded almost to the point where it is nonexistent. He is seen by the EU as being just an untrustworthy partner and someone who is willing to burn all relationships internationally for short-term political gain.”
Amid uncertainty about Johnson’s successor, the diplomat said: “If there is anything more positive coming from the UK side, we will grasp it and run with it.”
A second diplomat said one of the big questions for the EU was who would succeed Johnson and what their approach to the protocol would be, adding: “Surely [the foreign secretary] Liz Truss will make a run for it, which doesn’t bode well.”
There was more sympathy for the outgoing prime minister in Kyiv. “We all welcome this news with sadness. Not only me, but also all of Ukrainian society which sympathises with you a lot,” Zelenskiy told Johnson, according to Ukrainian officials. “We don’t doubt that Great Britain’s support will continue, but your personal leadership and your charisma made it special.”
The Kremlin was unsurprisingly scathing about Johnson, who has been an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin.
Johnson, who championed weapons transfers to Ukraine in the early stages of the war and was among the first world leaders to visit Kyiv in April, has emerged in recent months as a much-loved figure in Ukraine. The Kremlin described him as the “most active anti-Russian leader”.
“He doesn’t like us. We don’t like him either,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Thursday morning.
A senior adviser to Zelenskiy, Mykhailo Podolyak, said in a video statement that Johnson had “called a spade a spade from the beginning” of the war in Ukraine and that Ukraine’s government lamented his departure.
He said: “Thanks for Mr Johnson we understand that victory is a real symbol of the future in Ukraine. Victory will be ours because the civilised world is completely in pro-Ukrainian positions. And that is why we are extremely grateful to our partners, Mr Johnson, for the opportunity to do our work effectively.”
