Boris Johnson’s tenure at Number 10 began with a stalemate in Stormont, and ends with one.

In May, his last trip to Northern Ireland saw him spending most of the time at Hillsborough Castle.

Stormont party leaders, frustrated by the government’s handling on Northern Ireland issues, hurled criticisms at him.

Outside, anti-Brexit protesters, Irish language campaigners, and victims’ groups met to demand his resignation.

Two more months would pass before Johnson was forced to resign by the Conservative Party. This would have been almost three years after Johnson first received the keys to Downing Street.

Prime Minister who had promised to “get Brexit done”, he resigns with the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol unresolved, and Stormont without a government.

However, his involvement in Northern Ireland was not always so fraught.

When he was London’s mayor, Johnson visited Wrightbus, County Antrim. He took in the spotlight while taking photos with his “Boris” buses.

His support for Brexit was what first made many outside and within his party see him as a statesman.

His biggest fan base is the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), who placed him on the centre stage at its November 2018 party conference.

He stated to the party that no British government could or should sign up for a post-Brexit Irish Sea border between Northern Ireland, the UK and Northern Ireland.

After Mr Johnson was installed as prime minister, there would not be another reception.

The Conservative Party had a minority in the House of Commons when he was elected and relied on DUP votes for legislation to be passed.

It allowed the DUP enormous influence which was hoped would lead to a Brexit agreement.

Johnson, however, was in the same Brexit position as Theresa May’s predecessor. He couldn’t find a way for him to pass a Brexit deal through Parliament.

He met with Leo Varadkar (the Irish prime minister at the time), at Thornton Manor, north-west England, in October 2019.

They spoke for over two hours, with a walk on the grounds of the manor.

The leaders stated that they could see a path to a deal at the conclusion of the meeting.

As part of his EU deal, Johnson agreed to the Irish Sea Border. This will allow goods to be checked when they travel between Northern Ireland and the UK.

He ruined his relationship with DUP, earning him a rebuke by its leader Arlene Foster. She claimed that her party had sent him “naughty steps in Parliament”.

Unionist opposition was fierce – the Orange Order called him a “lousy Unionist”, and posters with his face, accusing him of committing a “betrayal” act, appeared in parts of Belfast that were unionist.

Despite opposition, he continued to work, taking the UK out the EU in January 2020, having won a general election last month. He claimed that his deal was “oven ready”.

He also denied the existence of a border in Ireland Sea and described his Brexit deal as “a good arrangement…with the least bureaucratic consequences”.

A Northern Ireland businessman asked Mr Johnson if he could tell his staff they wouldn’t need to fill out customs declarations for goods moving from NI to GB. He replied that if they were asked, they should contact him directly.

He said, “I will tell them to throw it in the trash.”

Jan 2020, apart from marking the passage of his Brexit deal was an important moment for Johnson.

After three years of talks between Julian Smith, his Northern Ireland Secretary, and Simon Coveney the Irish Foreign Minister reached a deal to restore Stormont’s devolved government.

This meant that a visit was planned to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Johnson did not foresee a pandemic, and Covid would overthrow all political and public norms. The prime minister was almost killed by the virus.

Many months later, it was revealed that he and Number 10 officials had violated Covid rules. They held wine and cheese parties at home while others remained at home.

Partygate was a controversy surrounding Owen Paterson, a former Northern Ireland secretary and MP. This scandal damaged support for Johnson among Tory backbenchers.

The pressure on the prime minister to renegotiate a deal with the EU on protocol was also a factor, leading to his withdrawal from earlier statements regarding the Northern Ireland aspects of the Brexit deal.

He promised to “fix not abandon” the protocol, and by July 2021 had issued proposals for changes. He published a bill to amend it in June 2022.

These proposals were sharply criticized by both non-unionist parties from Northern Ireland and the EU as well as opposition parties throughout the UK.

Lord Hain, a former secretary to Northern Ireland, accused Johnson of using “Putinesque techniques” to provoke a dispute with the EU.

The Stormont institutions collapsed in February 2022 after a row over the protocol. Paul Givan, the DUP First Minister, resigned and the party pledged not to re-enter the government until the protocol was amended.

This put the prime minister in a difficult collision course with the EU. His successor will continue to be in his crosshairs.

All the parties in Northern Ireland and the Irish government, as well as victims’ groups, criticized Johnson over a new law that aims to end the prosecution of alleged offences committed during the Troubles.

The bill provides a conditional amnesty for those accused of killings or other Troubles-related offenses. Despite opposition from Northern Ireland, it passed through the House of Commons at July’s beginning.

A second plan, which Johnson supported, did not get the chance to see the light.

He is a well-known supporter of large infrastructure projects and described a bridge linking Northern Ireland to Scotland as “a very intriguing proposal”.

His government ordered an official feasibility study. It received mixed reactions from Northern Ireland parties.

The plans were officially cancelled in November 2021 due to engineering problems and forecasted costs.

What about the legacy of Johnson in Northern Ireland?

He was confronted with the question at a service of worship in October to mark the centenary celebrations in Northern Ireland. He said that Northern Ireland had a “great tomorrow”.

It’s a future Mr Johnson won’t be involved in for the time being.