It was not until the final paragraphs of Boris Johnson’s more than 1,000-word resignation letter – after the comments about Brexit revenge, witch-hunts and kangaroo courts – that he managed to devote a line or two to the job he would be leaving behind: MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. In Uxbridge town centre the morning after, he was not exactly top of mind for his constituents either, many of whom were disillusioned at the state of British politics. But there was palpable relief at his departure. Beth, 23, a restaurant manager, was one of several to employ a four-letter expletive to share their feelings about the former prime minister.“Good. Bye bye. Finally, again. He’s very good at this by this point.” She had not, however, thought she would see the back of him so soon. “I expected him to loiter around like they all do.”
She does not believe there is much chance for Labour and the Liberal Democrats here, a seat the Conservatives have held since 1970. But Brooke Montgomery, 18, who is doing her A-levels and hoping to go to Cambridge soon, is more positive. Having lived in Uxbridge all her life, she said Johnson “is the only MP I can remember having been here. But to me everything has gone downhill.” She plans to use her first vote in the upcoming byelection to vote for Labour. “In this constituency there’s no point in voting for anyone other than Labour if you want to get the Tories out.” Her family have had bad experiences at Hillingdon hospital – one of the few local issues Johnson did mention in his resignation letter, saying he is proud that it is being rebuilt. While he enthusiastically poses for photo opportunities – he has visited Montgomery’s primary school and her grandmother’s charity shop, she said – she does not think he is in touch with the lives of his constituents. “Boris hasn’t lived here. Boris doesn’t get it. Having lived here my whole life I don’t understand how someone like Boris could understand.”
Since Covid, local sentiment towards Johnson has switched, she said, from positive to distrustful. She said while the government partied in Downing Street, she and other teenagers were trapped inside. “It makes me so angry. I feel like I missed a really important part of my life.” Another constituent, a civil servant, said it was about time Johnson stood down. “He hasn’t done much for Uxbridge and the area. My opinion is good luck to him because he’s ruined the place.” Sitting on a bench in the sunshine eating a sandwich with two bags of shopping, a punnet of strawberries poking out, Joost De Folter, 48, is delighted about Johnson’s resignation. “I think it’s good that Bojo is out. I’m really glad,” said the research software engineer and former Uxbridge resident (he moved to the Netherlands shortly before Brexit for a combination of reasons, including Brexit, but works remotely for London’s Francis Crick Institute). “The parties, I don’t really care, but all the other stuff, the big decisions, those are the things that are much more important.” A constituent out shopping with her daughter said Johnson’s resignation was “the best thing that ever happened”. She added: “I don’t like him for Brexit, it shouldn’t have happened. It has displaced many families.” Tricia Edokpolor, 21, a junior commercial analyst, said she would vote Labour, which she described as “the lesser of two evils”, in the byelection but that Johnson’s departure would not have much practical impact.
“It doesn’t really come as a surprise to be honest. His resignation is something that doesn’t feel like it changed anything in terms of the economic state of the country.” Her partner, Emmanuel-James Alo, 21, a project manager, said: “I don’t think he was doing much for us.” He added: “Jeremy Corbyn, that’s who people want.” Even among Johnson fans, the Conservatives may have their work cut out. Harvinder Singh, 44, a business analyst from Uxbridge, “quite liked Boris. I’m quite surprised. I wasn’t expecting that. I thought he was going to get through it.” But when asked whether he would vote Conservative in the byelection he was hesitant: “Ooh, I’m not too sure yet.” Balloon seller Mr Baird, 82, from Hayes, holding dozens of balloons in the shape of unicorns, Sonic the Hedgehog and Peppa Pig, said he spotted Johnson out and about just last week. “I’m sorry to see him go but now I’m worried about who we’re going to get.”
In 2019, Johnson – who has been MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip since 2015 – won the seat with a majority of 7,210 and a 52.6% share of the vote. Labour were in second with 18,141 votes followed by the Lib Dems with just 3,026. Nevertheless, both believe they can unseat the Tories. The Labour candidate Danny Beales has previously said the seat is “winnable”. And the Lib Dem candidate, Blaise Baquiche, a former civil servant whose father died in January 2021, said he would be fighting “hell for leather” to win it. He said there were no plans for pacts or deals with Labour, because he is convinced the Lib Dems can win. “We’re really looking forward to it,” he said. Wearing a T-shirt that says “take climate action” in Uxbridge, Sarah Green, the constituency’s Green candidate, said: “There is different way. Vote Green for the planet and for the people. We need clean air and we need clean water.” Rosemary Bennett, the coordinator of Hillingdon Friends of the Earth, is out campaigning in Uxbridge. The byelection could be close, she thinks. “Because a lot of people are out of love with politics in general, and the Conservatives and Partygate have played a part in that.”