Boris Johnson’s last PMQs marked with banter and ‘hasta la vista’ farewell

If Boris Johnson was expecting a teary-eyed send off from all MPs, he didn't get one at his final Prime Minister's Questions.

The outgoing prime minister's last weekly grilling at the dispatch box was not unlike his first in September 2019 - acrimonious, raucous, and littered with his colourful quips.

After almost an hour of political theatre, Mr Johnson brought the curtain down in characteristic fashion, with a tongue-in-cheek farewell, borrowed from the script of a sci-fi blockbuster.

"Hasta la vista, baby," Mr Johnson told MPs, reciting the line from Arnold Schwarzenegger's cyborg character in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Cue uproarious laughter, cheers and a standing ovation from the Conservative benches - although former PM Theresa May didn't appear to join in the applause.

Given Schwarzenegger's other famous catchphrase in the film - "I'll be back" - Mr Johnson's sign-off and what it means may hang in the air in Westminster.

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For now, at least, Mr Johnson will leave office by September, when the contest to elect his replacement as Tory leader and prime minister is due to conclude.

In a pithy closing statement Mr Johnson had a few words of advice for his successor, saying that they should stay close to the Americans, stick up for the Ukrainians and cut taxes whenever possible.

"Focus on the road ahead, but always remember to check rear-view mirror. And remember above all, it's not Twitter that counts - it's the people who sent us here."

Hostile audience

Held in the pressure cooker of the House of Commons, Prime Minister's Questions is designed to be an adversarial occasion of high political drama.

The first was in 1961, and since then, prime ministers have admitted the event holds some terror.

Years after leaving office, former Prime Minister Tony Blair likened PMQs to being marched to his own "execution", while one of his predecessors, Harold Macmillan, confided it made him feel "physically sick".

It's easy to see why as Mr Johnson faced a hostile audience of MPs, some of whom had been involved in ousting him as Tory leader weeks ago.

Before proceedings began, Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle urged MPs to moderate their language and conduct themselves in a respectful manner.

The plea appeared to fall on deaf ears though as Labour MPs - led by leader Sir Keir Starmer - launched a barrage of attacks on Mr Johnson's integrity and record in as PM.

"Inflation is up again this morning and millions are struggling with a cost of living crisis, and he's decided to come down from his gold wallpapered bunker for one last time to tell us that everything's fine," Sir Keir said.

"I am going to miss the delusion."

Quips galore

Mr Johnson paid little heed to Sir Lindsay's plea either, branding Sir Keir a "great pointless human bollard".

It was the kind of unconventional one-liner Mr Johnson has reeled off time and again during his 93 PMQs duels, most of them against Sir Keir.

"Captain Hindsight" was one of Mr Johnson's favourite nicknames for Sir Keir, often used in the context of his calls for lockdown restrictions during the pandemic.

Many of their fiercest clashes at PMQs were over Covid-19 rules, and the breach of them by Mr Johnson and others in Downing Street.

Mr Johnson often called Sir Keir "Captain Hindsight" at the dispatch box

A more recent addition to Mr Johnson's jibes at Sir Keir has been "Captain Crasheroonie Snoozefest", and he once described former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as a "chlorinated chicken" in an exchange about post-Brexit trade with the US.

When asked why the Tory leadership candidates had pulled out of a televised debate this week, Mr Johnson once again conjured an vivid image with his rhetoric.

The candidates would "wipe the floor" with Sir Keir, Mr Johnson said, comparing his Tory colleagues to "household detergent".

Perhaps not quite what eliminated Tory leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat had in mind when he offered a "clean start".

Heartfelt tributes

BBC political correspondent Ione Wells sat in the press gallery of the Commons watching the spectacle unfold.

The atmosphere was "pretty jovial overall", she said. She said even Mr Johnson's critics couldn't help but chuckle at his gags, with Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs laughing at his notorious rhetorical flourishes, which have arguably got him in trouble over the years.

Mr Johnson's valedictory speech came after veteran Conservative backbencher Sir Edward Leigh praised his record.

Labour MPs could be heard shouting "no" as Sir Edward said: "On behalf of the House may I thank the prime minister for his three years' record of service."

Stepping up to the dispatch box for the last time, Mr Johnson thanked his staff and MPs before giving a nod to Schwarzenegger's Terminator character.

As the heat of PMQs cooled, Mr Johnson left the chamber, receiving pats on the back and handshakes as he went.

Some tears were apparently shed after all by Conservative minister Andrea Jenkyns.

These were the end credits of Mr Johnson's swansong PMQs, or, to evoke his Terminator reference, the final parliamentary Judgement Day of his premiership.

Some of Johnson's memorable PMQs moments

'Big girl's blouse'

In his first PMQs on 4 September 2019, Mr Johnson called Mr Corbyn a "great big girl's blouse" when the then-Labour leader challenged the PM about parliamentary scrutiny.

First Partygate apology

On 12 January 2022, Mr Johnson offered "heartfelt apologies" for attending drinks in Downing Street's garden on 20 May 2020, when lockdown restrictions were in force.

Blackford cake jibe

The prime minister was accused of "body shaming" the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford during a PMQs clash on 26 January 2022.

PM 'humbled' by Sue Gray report

On 25 May 2022, Mr Johnson repeated his apology for parties held in Downing Street during lockdown, after senior civil servant Sue Gray published a report into breaches of Covid-19 rules.