The election of Boris Johnson as leader of the UK conservative party which makes him UK Prime Minister has been greeted around the world with what can only be described as a degree of fear. The BBC says that "his political inheritance has all the makings of a disaster". Indeed, he has no majority in the Parliament; has no mandate from the general public; and has policy problems everywhere: he has to solve Brexit with a reluctant EU and a divided party, and has deep-seated problems at home. For Le Monde in France, Johnson is "known for his eccentricity, his elastic positions, his narcissism and his lies". According to Libération, he advances by the seat of his pants, "like a chameleon, adjusting his positon according to the moment". In Germany, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung calls him "the clown who wanted to be king of the world" and mentions his nonchalance and complete unpredictability. Der Speigel predicts that as soon as he stands in front of the door at number 10 Downing Street (the Prime Minister's residence), "he will begin breaking his promises". The Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad said that he will soon find out that "what he promised as a candidate cannot be achieved as prime minister". And the Irish Times despairs: "How far can Britain fall?" it asks. "The Brexit debacle has already left the country bitterly divided, its parliament paralysed, its influence diminished, its reputation shattered. Now, a new nadir: Boris Johnson is set to become prime minister. That means things could still get a lot worse". Denmark's Politiken talks of a future which could become even more "unpredictable and chaotic" under the new prime minister "who looks like a man who has slept in his car". Even Spain's El Pais recognises that few prime ministers can have faced "such a complex and urgent challenge since the first day of their term" and warns that "reality will be tough… in a job in which all blunders and scandals will carry real-world consequences".

For UK retailers, the key issues are Brexit and business rates. On Brexit, the Financial Times predicts that any renegotiation with the EU on his stated terms will end in deadlock, forcing him to pursue a no-deal Brexit. "The cost of no deal", it states, "will be seven times larger for the UK than for the EU 27". Brussels has also rejected claims that World Trade Organisation rules would allow for seamless trade after no deal. Analyst Global Data said: "the most pressing issue for retailers remains clarification on Brexit both in terms of timing and the nature of the withdrawal". A number of retailers have expressed worry about the pressure on supply chains and storage coinciding with Halloween and the busy Christmas period. Supplies of food, toys, and pharmaceuticals have been mentioned. The new government will also have to stimulate consumer confidence which has been falling and is expected to worsen as we approach the October deadline. As if this were not enough, UK retailers are becoming more vocal about the destructive impact of business rates on physical retail, and the British Retail Consortium has said that it does not expect Boris Johnson to make the changes that retailers require. Studies from both Deloitte and KPMG/Ipsos this week suggest that both consumer confidence and retail health are close to record lows.

See Financial Times Leader on Boris Johnson

See Women's Wear Daily on Boris Johnson and fashion