Jenny Bathurst: "The man who broke the news that I would never be returning to college"

Jenny is studying journalism at the University of Brighton.

"I think all of us have that one topic that when it comes up in a conversation we would much rather nod along and pretend we understand, when in reality we are completely clueless. For my dad it would probably be modern pop culture and for many of my girlfriends (including myself) it would be football teams and stats, but for me it would almost definitely be politics. I know enough to recognise when the government make a decision that affects the nation and that the cat who lives in Downing Street is called Larry, but then my knowledge draws to a halt. I have no excuse for my ignorance, especially as a trainee journalist. I spent months meticulously revising every sector of the government, how the country is run and the politics of the UK. But the moment I received the email congratulating me on passing the exam, every piece of information flew out of my mind and I am still none the wiser.

"However, despite my confusion surrounding all this, I knew just what it meant when I received the breaking news notification that Boris Johnson is resigning from his post as prime minister. Each and every time my phone screen pinged with the tones of Sky News in the previous few days I expected the news of his resignation to be shining up at me, so when I finally read the bulletin it was almost anti-climactic.

"Boris Johnson was the man who broke the news that I would never be returning to college or finish my A-levels. He was also the man who explained the extent of Covid-19 and its impact, a virus which I contracted and has left me with an incurable chronic illness. I wouldn’t exactly call him the good news guy.

"And as little as I know about the government, one thing I know for sure is that I would hate to be the prime minister. I still remember Theresa May tearfully telling the nation that she just couldn’t deliver and how frustrated she was that she could not serve the country she loved as well as she hoped. I am certainly not suggesting that I am a stoic supporter of Boris Johnson or that I feel he never put a foot wrong, but I cannot help but feel that the stress and relentlessness of the role of prime minister is one that not even the strongest and most hard-working individual could carry out effortlessly.

"I am only twenty, and so I expect to see many more men and women enter and exit 10 Downing Street. My lack of politics knowledge deems me completely ignorant as to who might stand a chance at becoming our next prime minister, but whoever they are, I must say I don’t envy them in the slightest."