Johnson compares Sunak to Brutus in his new memoir ‘Unleashed’

‘If Caesar had 23 stab wounds from his assassins, I ended up with 62’

• Amit Roy
• 03 October, 2024

By: Amit Roy

BORIS JOHNSON has given his account of the role allegedly played by Rishi Sunak in his downfall.

Johnson compared himself to Julius Caesar being stabbed by Brutus when Sunak resigned from the key position of chancellor of the exchequer in his cabinet, thereby effectively putting the skids under his premiership.

In his just published memoirs, Unleashed, Johnson recalls what happened on July 5, 2022, when Sajid Javid resigned as health secretary (over the then prime minister’s handling of a relatively minor sex scandal in the Tory parliamentary party), followed an hour later by Sunak also stepping down.

Their resignations were not coordinated. But Sunak’s departure was followed by 60 other ministers and key figures, forcing Johnson to resign as prime minister.

Johnson writes: “When Sajid Javid resigned, I was fairly phlegmatic. I loved old Saj, but he was finding it very hard to reform the NHS and fix waiting lists, and I suspected that he was paranoid about his own position. But when Rishi resigned later that same day, I was sad.

“It was worse than a crime, it was a mistake – both for Rishi and for the party, never mind the country.

“As I read his resignation letter, with its leaden phrases, I murmured (at least internally) the dying words of Julius Caesar, kai su, teknon (meaning, You too child). If Caesar had 23 stab wounds from his assassins, I ended up with 62, in the sense that a grand total of 60 ministers decided to follow Saj and Rishi out of the door. That, in the end, was why I had to go. I could still have built a government – I had enough straw to make my bricks. But by then I felt I was only staving off the inevitable.”

“You too child” were reputedly the last words spoken to Brutus when he and others plunged their knives to kill Caesar on 15 March 44BC, the Ides of March. The better known Latin phrase “et tu, Brute” is from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caeser.

To this day, many Tories describe Sunak as a “snake” for allegedly betraying the prime minister. The consensus now is that Johnson, who had stabbed Theresa May to get the premiership, was the author of his own misfortune and that he squandered the 80 seat majority he had won in the 2019 general election.

The relationship between Johnson and Sunak had once been close.

“I liked Rishi, I considered him my friend and partner,” says Johnson. “But I had not seen the evidence that he knew how to cope with the scale of the job, how to mount a truly massive campaign, how to project a vision of the future that really resonated with the voters.

“I thought Rishi’s best bet would be to hang on, help get us through 2024, and then take over in due course.

“We had discussed his career several times, and he assured me of his complete support ‘for as long as you want’, and it goes without saying that I was pretty fervent in my support for him. “He had run into some difficulties in April over his wife’s tax affairs, and I can tell you that we were all full-throated in our defence. I just assumed he would reciprocate.

“I assumed he understood that he was not yet ready, that we were a good fit; and that we could get on and deliver a great and inspiring agenda for the country.”

Johnson adds: “I don’t blame Rishi for prematurely wanting to be PM; in fact, I don’t blame any of them, really, for trying to turf me out. It’s just what Tory MPs do.

“It goes without saying that if we had all stuck together I have no doubt that we would have gone on to win in 2024, and a lot more of my friends would now have their seats.”

In his resignation letter addressed formally to “Dear Prime Minister”, Sunak set out why he had resigned: “For me to step down as Chancellor while the world is suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other serious challenges is a decision that I have not taken lightly.

“However, the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.

“In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.

“I am sad to be leaving Government but I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we cannot continue like this.” It was signed, “Kind regards, Rishi Sunak.”

A reader in the Daily Mail sided with Johnson: “Snake Sunak was the architect of the last few years of turmoil in the Tories. The fact that he ended up in No 10 without any sort of democratic vote even by members will haunt the Tories forever.

Their membership is hemorrhaging (sic), as has their support. Now we have 4 people fighting for the leadership who were all part of the problem, and this is supposed to enthuse voters.”

Letters in the Daily Telegraph suggest that a Johnson comeback can be ruled out. One response to Johnson’s account was: “Bullsh*t Boris assassinated May before him so put that in your pipe and smoke it. He’s totally delusional like Truss. It must be catching in No 10. Sunak deserves a knighthood for ridding us of this idiot and trying to repair the damage he wreaked on the UK at home and abroad.”

Another agreed: “Sunak stood up when all around him had failed miserably and steadied the ship. He knew it was a poison chalice, but put country before his own ambitions, unlike Boris.”