British Prime Minister Boris Johnson bowed out of his final showpiece parliamentary appearance with a round of applause from his party, jeers from opponents, and an enigmatic exit line: “Mission largely accomplished… “Hasta la vista, baby.”
Johnson was forced to announce his resignation earlier this month after a large group of people protested the latest in a long line of scandals. His party said that after three troubled years in charge, he was no longer fit to lead the country.
In his last “Prime Minister’s Questions,” a weekly political event in which the prime minister faces off against his opponents in a heated debate, Johnson tried to build his legacy around his response to COVID-19 and his support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia.
“We’ve helped, I’ve helped, get this country through a pandemic and help save another country from barbarism.” And frankly, that’s enough to be going on with. “Mission largely accomplished,” Johnson said.
“I want to thank everybody here and hasta la vista, baby.”
The line, borrowed from Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1991 movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and translated as “see you later,” prompted a round of applause from most on his own side.
Only two weeks ago, some of those clapping had resigned from their government, criticised their leadership, and demanded he quit. Reporters in the debating chamber said his predecessor, Theresa May, did not stand to clap.
(Curtesy Reuters)