Now that he is assuming the office that has been his life's ambition, can Boris Johnson actually wield power?
It's an open question. The new prime minister's majority could shrink to one; more defections and desertions look inevitable. He is viewed with a mixture of disdain and suspicion by a large chunk of Parliament.
In every area of policy — and none more so than Brexit — he will need to command the confidence of the House of Commons.