Mary Glindon column: 'Boris was a deceitful charlatan'

The final Prime Minister’s Questions for Boris Johnson did not follow that pattern.

None of the MPs on the opposition benches stood to applaud him for his work and there was a very good reason for this.

Johnson was a deceitful charlatan whose only concern was for himself.

Blair, Cameron, and May had substance and dignity in their public service. All Johnson could do is blame others for his departure and tell us Hasta La Vista, baby.

I’ll be back is what he was saying. It’s a line from Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator.

As it happens, Schwarzenegger went on to become a respected Republican Governor and showed his deep democratic commitment to democracy by denouncing Donald Trump’s attempt to deny the election results in a widely praised YouTube video.

There’s no chance that Johnson can emulate the deep seriousness of the actor in his public life.

The most amazing thing is that MPs on his own side applauded him when he finished for the last time at the Dispatch Box.

It was only the week before that many had resigned and decided finally that he wasn’t the right or decent man for the job.

I have no idea if Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will win the election in September. As ever, I am torn between wondering which would be better for the country or for my party.

One way or another, this farce has got to come to an end. There are just so many deeply-seated crises piling up and impacting profoundly on so many people’s lives.