The principal theme trumpeted by the outgoing Prime Minister was to Get Brexit Done.

Although he claims this has been achieved, the reality is that ministers are currently seeking to undo that part of the deal which related to Northern Ireland and which has led to a political impasse there.

The Government has singularly failed to ‘take back control’ of our borders.  Small boats continue to cross from France.

Prior to Brexit, the people being trafficked in this way could, lawfully, have been returned to France, an option not now available.  Instead we have a half-baked scheme to deport a very small proportion of them to Rwanda at vast cost and another half-baked scheme to use Linton-on-Ouse as a place to site them while denying them any opportunity to work.

The absence of workers (particularly HGV drivers) from Europe was one of the reasons advanced for the fuel crisis last year.

It is also advanced as a factor (too few baggage handlers) in the chaotic state of our airports this year. I suspect that there will soon also be a shortage of workers to harvest our crops.

The legacy of our outgoing Prime Minister is not that he got ‘Brexit Done’, but that he is leaving a large number of other matters unfinished - he had already resiled from the promise to bring the HS2 Railway Line to Leeds. 

In fairness to Boris Johnson, he may also be remembered for the success of the vaccination programme. The leading role he has played in supporting Ukraine may also lead to him being remembered more favourably.

But his successor will need to rebuild many bridges closer to home.

David Laverick, Hobgate, York