“That doesn’t fix everything, but it’s always nice to see how the bad guys look for what they are and that there’s a moment of accountability,” Walford said. He has lived in the United States for seven years, works as a communications professional, and has a son who is a U.S. citizen.
Johnson announced his resignation Thursday amid consecutive scandals and the departure of more than 50 members of his government following news that he had appointed a legislator to a high-ranking party despite being aware of complaints of misconduct. Johnson resigned as leader of the Conservative Party, but said he would continue as prime minister until a successor was elected.
James Normington, 42, Leeds’ financial adviser, said it would be a relief to see Johnson leave. He said the man always seemed like a joke and that it was hard to take him seriously.
Normington met his wife, Caitlin, who was born and raised in Leominster. while doing a year abroad at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. They are raising two children in Westford.
“As my wife says,‘ This man doesn’t even have a brush, ’” he said. “It’s a little hard to imagine him on the world stage when you see his hair fall out.”
Although Johnson is now one of the UK’s shortest-serving prime ministers, having held the post for about three years, Normington said the scandals and allusion to social media caused the his tenure felt much longer.
One of the most reprehensible scandals for the British was the “partygate,” reports of government officials violating blockade rules to attend meetings on Downing Street and other government buildings. Johnson himself was fined for attending a July birthday celebration at No. 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence and office.
Lesley Peters, 60, who is from Manchester in the north of England and now lives in Wakefield, was unable to see her sister before she died of COVID-19 in early 2020. Peters was unable to travel due to the confinement and his family in the area. he was not allowed to be with his sister in the hospital.
“My sister died alone, and many families like mine could not attend funerals or be by the bedside,” she said. “He only cares about himself and couldn’t even apologize or admit his mistakes.”
Thomas Marsh, a 37-year-old man from Exeter who lives in Cambridge, said he found the prime minister’s behavior frustrating. He has felt less connected to the news coming out of the UK since moving to the US eight years ago, he said, but he has been following the latest developments closely, listening to friends and family at home about how they feel. .
“I couldn’t go home and see my parents for 18 months. I have a lot of friends and family at home who couldn’t see relatives in nursing homes and hospitals, “he said.” But Johnson was still attending parties. “
All the expats interviewed for this story said Johnson’s ability to dodge scandals, a willingness to break with political tradition, and a contempt for the truth make it easy to draw parallels between him and former President Donald Trump. They they said they expect positive change in the UK, although they acknowledged it we may have to wait for the next general election. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party will select an immediate successor to Johnson.
Tom Fisher, 34, human resources professional who grew up in Chesterfield, a bastion of the working-class Labor party, said he was encouraged to see the resignation of members of Johnson’s government.
“I hope all politicians are willing to do it even if it goes against the party line,” he said, adding that he had the feeling that there had been politicians in the Trump administration who disagreed with the president but were unwilling to take a step forward.
Fisher now lives in Somerville, having moved to the United States eight years ago to pursue a romantic interest. The relationship didn’t work out, but Fisher stayed.
“I love it here,” he said.
He said he used to think American politics was very divisive, but after Brexit, he realized that politics in the UK could be just as bad.
Kate Selig can be contacted at kate.selig@globe.com.