Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has said he is confident “things will get better” in the year ahead after a “pretty tumultuous” 2022 in a brief new year greeting posted on social media.
During the post, Mr Johnson made no mention of his unceremonious ejection from Downing Street – swiftly followed by his successor Liz Truss – or the cost of living crisis.
Instead Mr Johnson delivered an upbeat message on the the prospects for the economy and the opportunities opened up by Brexit following the end of the pandemic.
He said he was “more convinced than ever” that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will be defeated in Ukraine while there were signs that inflation around the world was coming down.
“2022 is tip-toeing towards the exit after a pretty tumultuous year in which we lost our beloved queen and saw the start of the worst war in Europe for 80 years,” he said.
Boris Johnson's final week in office - in pictures
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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses with Sea Cadets during a visit to BAE systems in Barrow-in-Furness. PA -
Mr Johnson views an armed response vehicle during a visit with members of Thames Valley Police at Milton Keynes Police Station. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson and Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel meet newly-recruited officers at Milton Keynes Police Station. AFP -
Mr Johnson and Ms Patel are shown the Critical Incident Desk during their visit with members of Thames Valley Police. AFP -
Mr Johnson on the scene following a drugs-related raid by Metropolitan Police officers in West Norwood, London. AP -
Mr Johnson with Stephen House, acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police service, during a visit to a police station in London. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson leaves the area following the raid in West Norwood. AP -
Mr Johnson meets Vimala, a police horse, during a visit to a Metropolitan Police station in London. AFP -
Mr Johnson gives a thumbs-up during a visit to Henbury Farm in north Dorset, where Wessex Internet are laying fibre optics. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in a mole plough during the visit to Henbury Farm. Getty Images -
Mr Johnson and Ms Dorries sit in the cabin of the plough. PA
“I want to tell you why I am looking forward to 2023 and why I am confident that things will get better
“Our post-Covid, post-pandemic UK will finally start to take advantage of all our new freedoms, lengthening our lead as the best place on earth to invest, to start a business, raise a family or to just hang out in the pub which is what I propose to do this New Year’s Eve.”
