Outgoing PM Boris Johnson given first edition Churchill books at final Cabinet meet

Boris Johnson’s cabinet gave him a set of first edition books about World War II by his hero, Winston Churchill, at his final Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

All members of Johnson’s new Cabinet, several of whom have only been in place for a few days following the wave of resignations that brought down his premiership, chipped in for the gift of six volumes out of their own pockets, the prime minister’s spokesman, Max Blain, told reporters.

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Churchill, Britain’s wartime leader who Johnson famously hoped to emulate in office, won a Nobel Prize for Literature. He was the subject of a biography by Johnson in 2014.

Cabinet Office minister Nigel Adams, a longstanding Johnson ally, gave a tribute on behalf of the premier’s top team, who offered a round of applause, according to Blain. The Cabinet also posed for a signed picture to give to Johnson.

Johnson will take prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, and is due to stay on as premier until early September, by when his Conservative Party aims to elect a successor.

The candidates to replace him were whittled down to four from five in a third ballot among Tory MPs on Monday, with a further person due to be knocked out in a vote on Tuesday.

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