Marianna Fotaki, Professor of Business Ethics at University of Warwick, Warwick Business School said:

“Abuse of power and evading responsibility when such abuse is uncovered lies at the heart of Boris Johnson's leadership. While Johnson is an epitome of this style, such leadership promotes the survival of the fittest – which he demonstrated when referencing 'the wonderful Darwinian system that produces Tory leaders' in his non-resignation speech as PM last July.

“There are too many instances when Johnson’s behaviour in office demonstrates his disrespect for any norms of decency and contempt for caring for others as a weakness. Perhaps the most telling is the alleged comment on 'let the bodies pile high in their thousands' during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This raises the question of our expectations of our leaders and what we value about them in reality.

“His is precisely the type of leadership that prioritizes attaining and staying in power rather than what power is used for, which produces destructiveness and loss of trust in the institutions we experience in the UK and elsewhere. Unless we reconsider leadership as a relational practice involving a leader's affective engagement and genuine concern for the interests of others, we will continue promoting leaders that are not fit for purpose.”