Boris Johnson defended his time in government and outlined advice for his successor as he attended his final session of Prime Minister's Questions in parliament on Wednesday.
Mr Johnson, who is expected to stand down in September, declared “mission largely accomplished” before signing off by telling MPs: “Hasta la vista, baby.”
He was cheered and clapped by members of his party as he walked out of the House of Commons chamber for the final time as leader of the Conservatives.
In a closing address, Mr Johnson gave advice to his ultimate successor, who he said should "stay close to America" and "stick up" for Ukraine and global democracy.
He also urged the next British prime minister to "cut taxes and deregulate wherever you can to make this the greatest place to live and invest".
"Focus on the road ahead, but always remember to check the rear-view mirror and remember above all it’s not Twitter that counts", he said.
Mr Johnson, 58, said his time in office had been "the greatest privilege" of his life.
"I helped to get the biggest Tory majority for 40 years and a huge realignment in UK politics," he said.
"I’ve helped to get this country through a pandemic and helped save another country from barbarism, and frankly that’s enough to be going on with.
"Mission largely accomplished."
Mr Johnson was admonished after calling opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer a “great pointless human bollard” as he fended off attacks from the opposition over his conduct and economic record.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle urged MPs to conduct Prime Minister’s Questions in a manner “focusing on issues and policies rather than personalities”.
The House of Commons breaks for its summer recess on Thursday, and the new leader is expected to be announced when it reconvenes on September 5.
Labour leader Keir Starmer quoted the bitter attacks hurled against each other and their own government's record by the three remaining Conservative candidates: Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt.
"I'm not following this thing particularly closely," the prime minister said of the Tory race, to laughter.
But he praised Mr Sunak's economic management during the pandemic, and said that any one of the three, "like some household detergent, would wipe the floor" with Labour.
The Conservative race has eliminated successive candidates in ballots among the party's MPs.
The final two will be chosen later on Wednesday, before taking their case to grassroots Tories during August.
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
