The 62-year-old former prime minister has become the subject of mockery after discovering he had dismissed a minister while watching television.

Public reaction has emerged following Johnny Mercer’s account of being removed from his government post by the former Conservative leader.

Johnson, who resides near Wallingford with his family, led the nation from 2019 until 2022, a period marked by the UK’s departure from the EU and the onset of the coronavirus outbreak.

During this timeframe, Mercer served as parliamentary under-secretary of state for defence personnel and veterans, and has shared on the Rest is Politics podcast how his removal occurred in 2021.

According to Mercer, he declined to step down voluntarily and instead received notification of his dismissal through a text message following a meeting with the chief whip.

Mercer further disclosed that Johnson, who held the premiership at the time, subsequently telephoned him to convey bewilderment regarding the decision.

Mercer recounted that the prime minister told him he was confused about the situation and had learned about the dismissal from his television screen, and asked what was happening.

Twelve months afterwards, Johnson would depart from office following multiple controversies affecting his administration, including the Partygate scandal, though not before nominating Mercer as minister of state for veterans’ affairs.

While Mercer would subsequently lose this role during Liz Truss’s brief tenure as prime minister, he would recover the position under her successor Rishi Sunak.

Members of the public shared their responses to this anecdote on social media platform X, expressing little compassion for Johnson.

Max Cownie expressed surprise at the revelation, suggesting he found the news about Johnson’s competence shocking.

Another user named Anna commented that Boris Johnson had been a waste of time.

User James commented that to anyone with sense, the situation had been chaotic from the beginning.