what is boris johnson biography

Boris Johnson

Who Is Boris Johnson?

After beginning his career as a journalist, Boris Johnson became a prominent editor while simultaneously building his political base as a Conservative MP. A surprise winner of London's mayoral race in 2008, the famously disheveled politician championed the "Leave" movement of the Brexit referendum in 2016 before spending two years as foreign secretary. Elevated to prime minister in 2019, Johnson engineered the U.K.'s break from the European Union but was criticized for breaking Covid-19 lockdown rules and resigned his premiership in July 2022.

How Old Is Boris Johnson?

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was born in New York City on June 19, 1964.

Parents and Siblings

His sister, Rachel , went on to earn acclaim as a journalist; his middle brother, Jo, became a member of Parliament and government minister; and his youngest brother, Leo, embarked on a career in finance. Johnson also has two half-siblings, Maximilian and Julia, from Stanley's second marriage.

Early Years and Education

Thanks to his father's varied professional pursuits, Johnson moved 32 times by age 14. The family's travels included stops in London, where Johnson attended Primrose Hill Primary School, and Brussels, where he was enrolled at the European School.

Affected by a medical condition known as "glue ear," which left him partially deaf until around age eight, Johnson was said to be a quiet, studious boy. He began emerging from his shell after being sent away to Ashdown House , a boarding school in East Sussex, where he studied ancient Greek and Latin and developed a love for rugby.

At Eton College, Johnson dropped his first name and honed a more extroverted personality. He headed the debate society, was named captain of school and joined the exclusive "Pop" club, though he also rankled faculty to the point where one housemaster criticized his "disgracefully cavalier attitude."

After a gap year spent teaching in Australia, Johnson returned to England to study classics at the University of Oxford's Balliol College. A standout among fellow future stars, he became president of the Oxford Union, co-edited the satirical publication Tributary and joined the Bullingdon Club before earning an upper second-class degree in 1987.

Journalist and Politician

Johnson began his journalism career as a graduate trainee for The Times but was fired the following year after attributing a fabricated quote to his godfather, renowned academic Colin Lucas.

Landing on his feet as the Brussels correspondent for The Daily Telegraph , Johnson carved out a reputation for his exaggerated but entertaining critiques of the European Commission. He later likened the experience to "chucking these rocks over the garden wall and [listening] to this amazing crash from the greenhouse next door over in England."

Johnson served as the Telegraph 's chief political columnist and an assistant editor from 1994-99 and then as editor of The Spectator , a right-wing magazine, until 2005. During this time, he also began writing a regular automotive column for GQ and saw his celebrity grow via well-received appearances on the popular quiz show "Have I Got News for You."

Johnson also launched his political career as a Conservative MP from Henley, Oxfordshire, in 2001. Forced from his position as party vice-chair and shadow arts minister after lying about an affair in 2004, he rebounded to win reelection the following year and became shadow higher education minister under Conservative leader David Cameron.

Mayor of London

Named the Tory candidate for London mayor in 2007, Johnson earned his first taste of international attention for his disheveled appearance and energetic but bumbling ways. He ultimately defeated the Labour incumbent, Ken Livingstone, to become the city's second elected mayor in 2008.

Recovering from a chaotic start in which several top aides resigned, Johnson introduced the "Boris bikes" cycle-sharing program in 2010 and the new-and-improved "Boris bus" fleet in early 2012.

Although he was criticized for his response to the 2011 London riots, he held on to defeat Livingstone and earn a second term in office in 2012.

Johnson subsequently saw the completion of the ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower and Emirates Air Line cable cars in time for the 2012 London Olympics, which provided the lasting image of the mayor stuck on a zip line above Victoria Park. Other ambitious projects, such as the "Boris island" airport and garden bridge over the River Thames, never came to fruition despite his efforts.

Brexit Campaign

Along with taking on another elected post as MP of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in 2015, Johnson spent his final weeks as mayor engaged in the contentious issue of Brexit, a referendum on whether to continue the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union.

Initially unsure which side to take, Johnson eventually emerged as the face of the "Leave" campaign, in direct opposition to Prime Minister Cameron. His populist message for an independent U.K. resonated with the public, resulting in the electorate's historic vote to leave the E.U. on June 23, 2016.

Johnson subsequently launched a bid to replace Cameron as the Conservative leader but bowed out by the end of June, paving the way for Theresa May to take over as prime minister.

Foreign Secretary

Named May's secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs in July 2016, Johnson soon ran into trouble with his off-the-cuff commentary. After initially defending the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, he accused the Middle Eastern country of "puppeteering and playing proxy wars." Later, his incorrect assessment that a British-Iranian national was "teaching" when arrested for spying in Iran reportedly bolstered the accusations that she was spreading propaganda.

Johnson dutifully represented the country's interests in rebuking the alleged Russian use of a deadly nerve agent and supporting the Iran nuclear deal. But he also feuded with his boss over her attempts to negotiate the U.K.'s break from the E.U. Dismayed by the proposed compromises, Johnson stepped down as foreign secretary in July 2018.

U.K. Prime Minister

After May resigned in May 2019 over an inability to forge a Brexit agreement, Johnson again sought control of the party leadership. This time, he emerged victorious after promising to pull out of the E.U. by October 31, regardless of whether or not a deal was in place, and took over as prime minister on July 24, 2019.

Johnson quickly found himself at odds with lawmakers after asking Queen Elizabeth II to suspend Parliament until mid-October, with critics charging that he was narrowing the opportunity for opposition to his Brexit plans. Parliament subsequently passed a bill that required the PM to request an extension for the U.K.'s departure by October 19 if he was unable to broker an agreement with the E.U. or earn the necessary consent for a no-deal Brexit.

While Johnson was forced to seek the extension, he was successful in bringing his case to the people with a snap election. Riding the slogan "get Brexit done," the Conservative Party proved the decisive winner in the December 2019 general election, giving Johnson time to fine-tune the minutiae of a final deal after the country's formal exit from the E.U. on January 31, 2020.

Meanwhile, a new crisis emerged that year with the rapid onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially reluctant to curb the flow of business and public interaction, Johnson finally announced the closure of stores and restaurants on March 20 before imposing strict lockdown measures a few days later. He then landed in intensive care after contracting the virus at the end of the month.

Although the U.K. became the first Western nation to greenlight a vaccine in December 2020, it also became the first European nation to surpass 100,000 casualties from the illness in January 2021. Later that year, a report slammed the " public health failures " in the country brought about by governmental delays in enacting social distancing guidelines.

Johnson’s problems compounded by April 2022 when he was fined for breaking lockdown rules. The following month, he was named a primary culprit in a series of lockdown-defying social gatherings among government employees, a scandal dubbed " Partygate ."

After he survived a no-confidence vote from party members in June, the revelation that Johnson was aware of sexual misconduct allegations against deputy chief whip Chris Pincher triggered a wave of government resignations headlined by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid. On July 7, 2022, Johnson bowed to the pressure to resign as prime minister .

Although former Foreign Secretary Liz Truss took over as party leader and premier, she, too, resigned less than two months later after several public missteps. Initially interested in reclaiming the job, Johnson withdrew his name from consideration shortly before Sunak was announced as the new PM on October 24, 2022.

Johnson has authored several books, dating back to his tales from the campaign trail with Friends, Voters, Countrymen (2001). Other works include the novel Seventy-Two Virgins (2003); an examination of antiquity with The Dream of Rome (2006); a book of poetry and illustrations with The Perils of the Pushy Parents (2007); and the biography The Churchill Factor (2014).

Wives and Children

Johnson has been married three times and fathered seven children. After meeting Allegra Mostyn-Owen at Oxford, the two were married in 1987 before having the union annulled in 1993. That year Johnson wed lawyer Marina Wheeler, with whom he had daughters Lara and Cassia and sons Milo and Theodore.

Following the revelation that he had another daughter, Stephanie, with journalist Helen MacIntyre, Johnson and Wheeler divorced in 2018. The prime minister then married public relations executive Carrie Symonds in 2021 and added to his family with son Wilfred and daughter Romy.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1964
• Birth date: June 19, 1964
• Best Known For: Conservative British politician Boris Johnson became the second elected mayor of London before overseeing the U.K.'s departure from the European Union as prime minister.
• Writing and Publishing
• Astrological Sign: Gemini
• University of Oxford, Balliol College
• Interesting Facts
• Johnson was the third published novelist to become U.K. prime minister, after Benjamin Disraeli and Winston Churchill.
• Occupations
• Political Figure

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Boris Johnson Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/boris-johnson
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: December 1, 2022
• Original Published Date: December 1, 2022
• I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them's the breaks.
• I want to have my cake and eat it.
• All romantics need the mortar of cynicism to hold themselves up.
• People live by narrative, human beings are creatures of the imagination.

Famous Political Figures

10 of the First Black Women in Congress

Kamala Harris

Deb Haaland

Why Lewis Strauss Didn’t Like Oppenheimer

Madeleine Albright

These Are the Major 2024 Presidential Candidates

Hillary Clinton

Indira Gandhi

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Vladimir Putin

Kevin McCarthy

Boris Johnson is finally undone by the traits that long defined Britain’s political Houdini

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson 's announcement Thursday that he would resign ends a tumultuous tenure that began on a wave of Brexit enthusiasm , but crashed on a  series of scandals and an internal revolt that sparked a political crisis.

Facing public distrust and  mounting discontent  in his own party and government, Johnson had defiantly sought to cling to power. He finally said he would quit after a crushing number of his own lawmakers moved to topple their once-talismanic leader, saying he was no longer fit to govern just a month after he survived a vote of confidence .

“Them’s the breaks,” a rueful but unrepentant Johnson said in a speech outside his No. 10 Downing St. home and office that capped days of drama and was met with boos. "As we’ve seen at Westminster," he said, referring to the central London area where Parliament is located, "the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves."

Johnson's decision to step down as the leader of the ruling Conservative Party will trigger a leadership race, with the winner set to become the United Kingdom's fourth prime minister in the six years since the June 2016 Brexit referendum. Johnson said he planned to remain in office until a successor is chosen — a move that faced immediate opposition from others in an increasingly hostile Parliament.

Johnson, 58, has always been a divisive figure, but his popularity among Conservative Party lawmakers and members had until now largely withstood the twin stresses of Covid and Brexit during his two-and-a-half-year leadership. Britain is also grappling with a cost-of-living crisis and the challenges of Russia’s war in Ukraine .

It was not until revelations of alcohol-fueled parties Johnson and his aides held during pandemic lockdowns that his political fortunes truly turned and his rule-defying insouciance, once a superpower, became his political kryptonite.

Months of fury over the scandal, known in the U.K. as "partygate," sent poll ratings for Johnson and his party plummeting. He and his wife were booed as they arrived for a Platinum Jubilee event last month.

Johnson narrowly survived a vote of confidence among his own lawmakers, leaving him damaged but still in power and his party bitterly divided. But within weeks, another scandal forced a lawmaker to step down from his senior role involving party discipline and welfare amid sexual misconduct allegations.

Even some who had said they personally liked and respected Johnson felt that the latest scandals and the shifting explanations over his handling of them were too much.

“It’s very sad but I’m relieved that he has stood down,” John Baron, a lawmaker from eastern England, told NBC News on Thursday. “I just wish we hadn’t been through these last few days. It must have been painful for his family and certainly painful for the country to watch.”

Even as the stream of ministers abandoning his government turned to a flood, Johnson initially refused to give in to what seemed an undeniable political reality.

“Any other PM wouldn’t have put their colleagues and country through the chaos of the last 48 hours,” Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, said. “To the extent that Johnson refused to face up to reality for longer than any rational, democratic politician would have, that really was unprecedented.”

Hailed by some commentators as a scruffy colossus remaking British politics, Johnson’s abrupt fall from grace will see him leave office with his reputation in tatters and his country facing a precarious moment.

The opposition Labour Party — led by former lawyer Keir Starmer, whose prosecutorial style is the antithesis of the deliberately ragged Johnson — has opened a commanding lead over the Conservatives in the polls. But the next general election is not scheduled until 2024, and a new Tory leader could upend things again.

It is a remarkable downfall for a man who defied doubters to strike the Brexit deal with the European Union before winning an electoral landslide in 2019 and promising sweeping reforms for a country that has spent years mired in division and dysfunction.

Johnson claimed big victories in rolling out Covid vaccines and lifting pandemic restrictions faster than many other nations. But in recent months, his administration has been dogged by the string of scandals and fumbles. His government has also faced criticism over plans to override its own Brexit deal in relation to Northern Ireland and its policy of sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

Born in New York City and educated at Eton College and Oxford University, Johnson was fired by the British newspaper The Times in 1987 for making up a quote. And once elected to Parliament, he was dismissed from a senior position in his party in 2004 after rumors surfaced of an affair with a journalist.

He has seven children: four with his ex-wife, Marina Wheeler, one during an affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre, and two with his wife, Carrie Johnson. Until recently he had refused to confirm exactly how many offspring he had.

Johnson served as the mayor of London from 2008 to 2016, winning fans across the political spectrum with his socially liberal approach and flamboyant, zip-wire charm. He was a celebrity politician even before that, his deliberately disheveled style setting him apart from his more conventional peers.

He led the “Leave” campaign in the 2016 referendum and won the 2019 election by flipping a slew of traditional working class Labour Party seats in the midlands and the north, the so-called Red Wall, to deliver the party’s biggest majority since Margaret Thatcher in 1987. 

Less than three years later, his tenure is at its end after one scandal too many.

Alexander Smith is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.

Mo Abbas is a London-based multimedia producer for NBC News.

Make a gift to PBS NewsHour’s global reporting

and your donation will be doubled by the Dorney-Koppel Foundation!

Associated Press Associated Press

Leave your feedback

• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/from-brexit-to-partygate-a-timeline-of-boris-johnsons-career

From Brexit to Partygate, a timeline of Boris Johnson’s career

LONDON (AP) — He was the mayor who basked in the glory of hosting the 2012 London Olympics, and the man who led the Conservatives to a thumping election victory on the back of his promise to “get Brexit done.”

READ MORE: After scandal-filled stint, British Prime Minister Johnson resigns as party leader

But Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister was marred by his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and a steady stream of ethics allegations, from alcohol-fueled government parties that broke lockdown rules to how he handled a sexual misconduct scandal involving a senior party lawmaker.

Here is a timeline of events relating to Johnson’s political career:

Serves as a member of Parliament in the House of Commons representing the constituency of Henley.

Serves as London mayor, overseeing 2012 London Olympics.

Co-leader of the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, in opposition to then-Prime Minister David Cameron, a fellow Conservative. Cameron resigns after voters approve Brexit in a national referendum on June 23, 2016.

Serves as Foreign Secretary under Cameron’s successor, Prime Minister Theresa May. Johnson resigns in July 2018 in opposition to May’s strategy for a “soft” Brexit that would maintain close ties with the EU.

Theresa May resigns as Conservative Party leader over her failure to persuade Parliament to back the Brexit agreement she negotiated with the EU. The party is split between those who back May and hard-liners, led by Johnson, who are willing to risk a no-deal Brexit in order to wring concessions from the EU.

Johnson is elected Conservative Party leader in a vote by party members. He takes office as prime minister the next day, inheriting a minority government that relies on votes from Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party to pass legislation. Johnson insists Britain will leave the EU on Oct. 31, with or without a deal.

Johnson announces he will shut down Parliament until mid-October, giving opponents less time to thwart a no-deal Brexit.

Twenty-one rebel Conservative Party lawmakers support legislation requiring the government to seek an extension of Brexit negotiations if it can’t negotiate an agreement with the EU. The measure passes and the rebels are expelled from the party.

Johnson asserts he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than ask the EU for another extension.

U.K. Supreme Court rules government’s suspension of Parliament was unlawful.

Johnson asks the EU to delay Brexit again. New deadline set for Jan. 31.

Parliament is dissolved and early elections are set for mid-December as Johnson seeks a mandate for his Brexit strategy.

Johnson wins an 80-seat majority in the general election, giving him the backing to push through Brexit legislation. The victory makes Johnson the most electorally successful Conservative leader since Margaret Thatcher.

The Brexit deal becomes law after approval by U.K. Parliament. European Parliament approves the deal six days later.

Johnson places U.K. in first lockdown due to COVID-19.

Johnson hospitalized and later moved to intensive care with COVID-19. He is released from the hospital on April 12, thanking the nurses who sat with him through the night to make sure he kept breathing.

Johnson’s government orders Conservative lawmakers to support a change in ethics rules to delay the suspension of Owen Paterson, a Johnson supporter who had been censured for breaching lobbying rules. The measure passes. A day later, facing an angry backlash from lawmakers of all parties, Johnson reverses course and allows lawmakers to vote on Paterson’s suspension. Paterson resigns.

Allegations surface that government officials attended parties in government offices during November and December 2020 in violation of COVID-19 lockdown rules. The scandal grows to reports of more than a dozen parties. Johnson denies the allegations, but opposition leaders criticize the government for breaking the law as people across the country made sacrifices to combat the pandemic.

Johnson authorizes investigation into the scandal, dubbed “Partygate.” Pressure builds for a leadership challenge, but fizzles.

Johnson’s longtime aide, Munira Mirza, quits Downing Street, followed by three other top aides.

The government announces a mid-year spending plan that’s criticized for doing too little to help people struggling with the soaring cost of living. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak refuses to delay a planned income tax increase or impose a windfall profits tax on oil and gas companies benefiting from rising energy prices.

Johnson meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, pledging a new package of military and economic support. The move helps bolster Johnson and his supporters, who argue the government should not focus on domestic political squabbles.

Johnson is fined 50 pounds ($63) for attending one of the lockdown parties. Opposition parties characterize him as the first U.K. prime minister in history shown to have broken the law while in office. Johnson apologizes but insists he didn’t know he was breaking the rules.

Findings of the “Partygate” investigation are published, detailing 16 gatherings at Johnson’s home and office and other government offices between May 2020 and April 2021. The report details excessive drinking among some of Johnson’s staff, at a time when millions of people were unable to see friends and family.

The government reverses course on its tax decision on oil and gas companies and announces plans for a 25% windfall profits levy.

Johnson narrowly wins a vote of no confidence, with Conservative lawmakers voting 211 to 148 to back him. But the scale of the revolt — some 41% voted against him — shakes his grip on power.

Christopher Geidt quits as ethics adviser to Johnson, accusing the Conservative government of planning to flout conduct rules.

Johnson’s Conservatives lose two former strongholds to opposition parties in special elections.

Parliament’s cross-party Privileges Committee issues a call for evidence for a probe into whether Johnson misled Parliament over lockdown parties.

Chris Pincher resigns as Conservative deputy chief whip amid allegations he assaulted two guests at a private members’ club in London. Previous sexual misconduct allegations emerge about Pincher. Questions swirl about whether Johnson knew about the claims when Pincher was given the job.

Johnson apologizes for his handling of the Pincher scandal and says he had forgotten about being told of the allegations. Two of Johnson’s most senior Cabinet ministers, Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, quit the government.

Some three dozen junior ministers resign from the government, attacking Johnson’s leadership.

Johnson resigns as Conservative Party leader, but plans to remain as prime minister while the leadership contest is held.

Support Provided By: Learn more

Support PBS NewsHour:

Educate your inbox

Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else.

Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains defiant amid calls to resign

World Jul 06

Who is Boris Johnson?

By Marisa Bellack and Olivier Laurent | Updated Dec. 9, 2019

Boris Johnson became British prime minister in July, as the result of a Conservative Party leadership contest. He campaigned on getting Britain out of the European Union, but that was hard to do without a parliamentary majority to support him. So he asked voters to endorse him and his party in a December general election. What’s important to know about him? He is a crowd-pleaser. He is also known to offend. He has been a cheerleader for Brexit. But he is not an isolationist — he wants to manage “Global Britain” on the United Kingdom’s terms.

The son of a diplomat and an artist, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was born in New York and grew up in Brussels. After his mother’s health deteriorated, he was sent to boarding school. He’s pictured here at Eton in 1979.

Ian Sumner/Shutterstock/Ian Sumner/Shutterstock

At Oxford, Johnson studied classics and became president of the Oxford Union debate society, hosting guests such as Greek Culture Minister Melina Mercouri.

Reuters Staff/Reuters

Johnson first made his name as a newspaper reporter and editor . He was fired from the Times of London for making up a quote, but went on to work as Brussels correspondent for the Telegraph and become Margaret Thatcher’s favorite columnist. With exaggerated and inaccurate dispatches, such as “Brussels recruits sniffers to ensure that Euro-manure smells the same,” Johnson stoked the euroskepticism that would set the stage for Brexit and his own premiership.

Johnson became editor of the Spectator magazine in 1999 and continued there even after entering politics. He was elected a member of Parliament from Henley in 2001.

Alan Davidson/Shutterstock/Alan Davidson/Shutterstock

Johnson boosted Spectator circulation. He also generated controversy, as when he published an editorial suggesting Liverpool was “hooked on grief” after the killing of a British hostage in Iraq.

Neville Elder/Corbis via Getty Images

Johnson had his ups and downs as a member of Parliament. He lost a leadership post after lying about an affair with a Spectator columnist but was elevated again by Tory leader David Cameron.

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

London is traditionally a bastion of the left-leaning Labour Party. But Johnson, a Conservative, managed to win two terms as the capital’s mayor. And he remained fairly popular, despite some costly failures and a tendency to say outrageous things. He especially relished his role as host of the 2012 Olympics, which was not organized by city hall but made him into a sort of global celebrity mayor.

How does a Conservative lead a liberal, cosmopolitan city? As mayor, Johnson talked up the benefits of immigration.

Johnson as mayor wasted large sums of money on several failed projects, including a scheme to build a pedestrian “garden bridge” across the Thames and another to build an airport on “Boris Island” in the Thames estuary.

In one of his early acts as mayor, Johnson banned alcohol on the London Underground. Pictured here: Protesters gather on the last night of legal drinking.

Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

Johnson introduced public bicycle rentals, which came to be known as “Boris Bikes.” The idea was his predecessor’s.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Much of the success of the 2016 Brexit campaign is attributed to the backing of the charismatic Johnson. He had been torn on the question. He even drafted two newspaper columns — one on why Britain should get out and another on why it should stay in. But ultimately he announced he would advocate “leave.”

“Take back control” resonated with voters. It encompassed a desire to reclaim powers that had been granted to Brussels, the idea that the European Union is a waste of money and anxieties about immigration.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Johnson’s side in the Brexit campaign claimed that Britain sends 350 million pounds (about $440 million) a week to the E.U. Independent fact-checkers put the figure at closer to 280 million pounds ($350 million).

A bid to prosecute Johnson over the misleading claim was thrown out by a London court in June.

WPA Pool/Getty Images

Johnson was the favorite to be prime minister in 2016, when Cameron resigned in the wake of the Brexit vote.

Hours before Johnson was to announce his candidacy, his campaign manager, Michael Gove, announced his own run. “Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead,” Gove said.

LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images

Johnson bowed out. He said the country needed a leader to take it in a new direction, but “I have concluded that person cannot be me.”

It was Theresa May who prevailed in that leadership contest. She surprised politics watchers when she appointed Johnson — her rival — as her foreign secretary. Johnson was not known for his diplomacy. He once suggested President Barack Obama was biased against Brexit because he was “par­­t-Kenyan” and anti-colonial.

Prime Minister Theresa May with her cabinet, with Johnson two seats away.

Johnson was the first British foreign secretary to visit Moscow in five years. He would later accuse Russia of being behind a nerve agent attack in the British town of Salisbury.

STEFAN ROUSSEAU/AFP/Getty Images

Johnson is pictured here in Kenya. Perhaps his biggest mistake as foreign secretary was when he suggested a British-Iranian woman was “teaching people journalism” before her arrest in Iran. Tehran used his comment as justification.

AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Johnson resigned as foreign secretary in July 2018, complaining that May’s compromise Brexit plan would shackle Britain to Europe like “a colony.”

May was forced out by her own party for failing to deliver Brexit. Only a tiny, unrepresentative crumb of the British electorate got a say in picking her replacement. The 313 Tory members of Parliament chose two finalists, and then the decision was put to the 139,000 dues-paying members of the Conservative Party.

Johnson sought to appeal to hardcore Brexiteers by promising that the U.K. would leave the E.U. by Oct. 31 — “do or die.”

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Johnson’s challenger was the man who replaced him as foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt. Because Hunt supported many of May’s positions, he was caricatured as “Theresa in trousers.”

Handout/Matt Frost/ITV via Getty Images

Johnson waved a vacuum-wrapped fish at a campaign event and railed at E.U. shipping regulations. As in his Brussels days, his story was inaccurate. The offending regulations are British.

TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images

Conservatives chose Johnson as their leader. Upon becoming prime minister in July, he declared that Britain needed a can-do attitude to make Brexit happen. “After three years of unfounded self-doubt, it is time to change the record,” he said.

Johnson pushed a more decisive split from the E.U. than his predecessor proposed. He also declared he would "rather be dead in a ditch" than request a Brexit extension beyond Oct. 31.

CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/AFP/Getty Images

Britain long ago tired of the Brexit debate. But it remains divided on what its relationship with Europe should look like.

DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images

Johnson succeeded in renegotiating a withdrawal deal with E.U. leaders but failed to get parliamentary support for his fast-tracked plan. He he had to request a Brexit extension, then called a snap election.

House of Commons/AP

Johnson’s populist politics — and shock of blond hair — have been compared to President Trump. The two are allies. But because the U.S. leader is so unpopular in Britain, Johnson has tried to keep his distance.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Johnson's main opponent, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, has charged that a post-Brexit Britain under Johnson would be subservient to Trump and put the beloved National Heath Service up for sale.

Besides pledging to "get Brexit done," Johnson has vowed to end the austerity program of previous Conservative governments and start spending once again.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• March Madness
• AP Top 25 Poll
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Boris Johnson reached the top but was felled by his flaws

FILE - Vote Leave campaigner Boris Johnson arrives for a press conference at Vote Leave headquarters in London Friday, June 24, 2016. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Mary Turner/Pool via AP, File)

FILE - Boris Johnson, Britain’s Conservative party spokesman for Higher Education, reacts as he listens to a delegate’s question during a debate at the party’s conference in Bournemouth, south England, Wednesday Oct. 4, 2006. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, file)

FILE - Britain Conservative Party MP, Boris Johnson, left, speaks to the media to launch his campaign as a candidate to be the Mayor of London, outside City Hall in central London, Monday, July 16, 2007. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)

FILE - Mayor of London Boris Johnson, left, poses with a wax figure of himself at Madame Tussauds wax museum in London Tuesday, May 5, 2009, after being introduced to his new wax figure. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)

FILE - Boris Johnson, Mayor of London waves to the media as he helps launch a new cycle hire scheme in London Friday, July 30, 2010. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London center, and four of the 49ers cheerleaders Deanna Ortega, left, Morgan McLeod, Alexis Kofoed and Lauren Riccaboni, right, pose for the media as the Mayor holds a team shirt with his name on at City Hall in London Tuesday, Oct., 26, 2010. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London in seen looking through perspex as models of the next two commissions that will appear on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in London, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - London Mayor Boris Johnson, gestures with a wand whilst attending a Harry Potter studio tour of Diagon Alley, at the Warner Brother Studios, London, Monday, Dec. 19, 2011. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Jonathan Short, File)

FILE - Madame Tussauds London mark Boris Johnson’s victory in the London mayoral election by giving him a post-party makeover Friday, May 4, 2012. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Jonathan Short, File)

FILE - London mayor Boris Johnson, second from left, waves the Olympic flag as President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge, center, and Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio de Janeiro look on during the Closing Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012, in London. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

FILE - British MP Boris Johnson and his wife Marina are photographed as they leave after voting in the EU referendum in London, Thursday, June 23, 2016. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

FILE - Boris Johnson takes part in a Street Rugby tournament in a Tokyo street Oct. 15, 2015. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP, File)

FILE - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson attends a Mediterranean Dialogues Summit in Rome Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

FILE - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has his tie straightened by his Australian counterpart Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in his office at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Jack Taylor/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gestures as he looks at a humanoid robot at Research Institute for Science and Engineering at Waseda University’s campus in Tokyo Thursday, July 20, 2017. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, file)

FILE - Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson talks to a British armed forces serviceman based in Orzysz, in northeastern Poland, during a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and following talks on security with his Polish counterpart Jacek Czaputowicz in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, June 21, 2018. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)

FILE - Britain’s Conservative Party lawmaker Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during the official launch of his leadership campaign, in London, Wednesday June 12, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - Mayor of London Boris Johnson looks at the skyline during helicopter ride over Hong Kong, Thursday Oct. 17, 2013. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Andrew Parsons/Pool, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, right, listens as then Mayor of London Boris Johnson speaks at a mayoral election campaign rally for Britain’s Conservative party candidate for Mayor of London Zac Goldsmith at a school in Ham, a suburb in south west London, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

FILE - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shakes hands with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker during a press point at EU headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

FILE - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, is greeted by Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, center left, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to staff in the children’s ward as he visits Milton Keynes University Hospital in Milton Keynes, England, Friday Oct. 25, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Toby Melville/Pool via AP, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses for a photo wearing boxing gloves during a stop in his General Election Campaign trail at Jimmy Egan’s Boxing Academy in Manchester, England,Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses with workers during a visit to Wilton Engineering Services, part of a General Election campaign trail stop in Middlesbrough, England, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson holds his dog Dilyn as he leaves after voting in the general election at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - Independent candidate Count Binface stands with Britain’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson as they wait for the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency count declaration at Brunel University in Uxbridge, London, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is greeted by staff as he returns to 10 Downing Street, London, after meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and accepting her invitation to form a new government Friday Dec. 13, 2019. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP, File)

FILE - In this Saturday, March 28, 2020 handout photo provided by Number 10 Downing Street, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs the morning Covid-19 Meeting remotely after self isolating after testing positive for the coronavirus, at 10 Downing Street, London. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street via AP, File)

FILE - A nurse holds a painting of Prime Minister Boris Johnson clapping with blood on his hands as part of a demonstration of NHS workers at hospitals across London to demand a 15 per cent pay rise by the government in London, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts while leading a virtual press conference on the Covid-19 pandemic, inside 10 Downing Street in central London Tuesday Jan. 26, 2021. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Justin Tallis / Pool via AP, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures after receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered by nurse and Clinical Pod Lead, Lily Harrington at St.Thomas’ Hospital in London, Friday, March 19, 2021. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks with his wife Carrie during arrivals for the G7 meeting at the Carbis Bay Hotel in Carbis Bay, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, Saturday, June 12, 2021. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prince Charles, centre, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, shelter from rain during the unveiling of the UK Police Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, England, Wednesday July 28, 2021. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Christopher Furlong/Pool via AP, File)

FILE - US President Joe Biden, left, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attend the opening session of the G20 summit at the La Nuvola conference center, in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson jogs in central London, early Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, poses with Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, in front of the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple, in Gandhinagar, part of his two-day trip to India, Thursday, April 21, 2022. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a press conference in Downing Street, London, Wednesday, May 25 2022, following the publication of Sue Gray’s report into Downing Street parties in Whitehall. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Britain’s Prime Minister Bortis Johnson walks in Downing Street to a press conference in London, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

• Copy Link copied

LONDON (AP) — Boris Johnson wanted to be like his hero Winston Churchill: a larger-than-life character who led Britain through a time of crisis. He was felled by crises of his own making, as a trickle of ethics allegations became a flood that engulfed his government and turned his own party against him.

Johnson resigned Thursday after the chorus of disapproval from within his own party became too much for him to withstand.

The move came after months of scandal that saw Johnson fined by police and criticized by an investigator’s report for allowing rule-breaking parties in his office while Britain was in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson urged his party and country to “move on” and focus on the U.K.’s struggling economy and Russia’s war in Ukraine . But two thumping special election defeats for Johnson’s Conservative Party and allegations of sexual misconduct against a senior party official sealed the fate of a politician whose ability to survive scandals was legendary.

Johnson’s career was always one of extremes. He took Britain out of the European Union and led the nation during a global health crisis that endangered his own life, but was toppled after flouting restrictions he imposed in response to COVID-19. Revelations of parties in Johnson’s Downing Street office while the country was in lockdown in 2020 and 2021 caused outrage and tested the patience of the Conservative Party for its election-winning but erratic leader.

An investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray criticized “failures of leadership and judgment” in Johnson’s government for allowing multiple rule-breaking gatherings in 2020 and 2021. Dozens of people were issued police fines, including the prime minister, his wife Carrie Johnson and Treasury chief Rishi Sunak.

It was, seemingly, the final blow to the career of one of the most divisive politicians Britain has ever known. A sympathetic biographer, Andrew Gimson, called Johnson “the man who takes on the Establishment and wins.” But for former member of Parliament Rory Stewart, who ran unsuccessfully against Johnson for the Conservative leadership in 2019, he was “probably the best liar we’ve ever had as prime minister.”

Johnson’s selection as Conservative leader and prime minister in July 2019 capped a rollercoaster journey to the top. He had held major offices, including London mayor and U.K. foreign secretary, but also spent periods on the political sidelines after self-inflicted gaffes.

Many times, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was written off as a lightweight who lacked the seriousness needed in a leader. He sometimes colluded in that impression, fostering the image of a rumpled, Latin-spouting populist with a mop of blond hair who didn’t take himself too seriously. He once said he had as much chance of becoming prime minister as of finding Elvis on Mars.

First elected to Parliament in 2001, he moved for years between journalism and politics, becoming well known as a newspaper columnist and guest on TV comedy quiz shows.

He sometimes made offensive remarks — calling Papua New Guineans cannibals and comparing Muslim women who wear face-covering veils to “letter boxes” — that caused furor and that he shrugged off as jokes.

His first big political post, as mayor of London between 2008 and 2016, suited his talents. He built a high global profile as cheerful ambassador for the city — an image exemplified when he got stuck on a zip line during the 2012 London Olympics, waving Union Jacks as he dangled in the air.

Critics blasted his backing for vanity projects including a little-used cable car and a never-built “garden bridge” over the River Thames, and warned he could not be trusted. As a young journalist, Johnson had been fired by The Times of London for making up a quote. He was once recorded promising to give a friend the address of a journalist that the friend wanted beaten up. He was sacked from a senior Conservative post for lying about an extramarital affair.

As Brussels correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, he specialized in exaggerated stories of EU waste and ridiculous red tape — tales that helped turn British opinion against the bloc, with far-reaching consequences.

Historian Max Hastings, Johnson’s former boss at the Telegraph, later called him “a man of remarkable gifts, flawed by an absence of conscience, principle or scruple.”

It was Brexit that gave Johnson his big chance. Johnson’s co-leadership of the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union helped the “leave” side secure a narrow victory in a 2016 referendum.

His bullish energy was essential to the victory. So, critics said, were the campaign’s lies — such as the false claim that Britain sent 350 million pounds a week to the EU, money that could instead be spent on the U.K.’s national health service.

The Brexit vote was a triumph for Johnson, but it did not immediately make him prime minister. Theresa May won a Conservative Party leadership contest and took the top job.

Johnson had to watch and wait for three years as May struggled to secure a divorce deal acceptable to both the bloc and Britain’s Parliament. When she failed, Johnson’s promise to “Get Brexit done” won him the prime minister’s job. In December 2019 he secured the Conservative Party its biggest parliamentary majority since Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.

His first months in office were fraught. Lawmakers resisted his Brexit plans and he suspended Parliament — until the U.K. Supreme Court ruled the move illegal. Opponents said it was another example of Johnson’s rule-breaking and disregard for the law.

After several delays to the departure date, Johnson achieved his goal of leading Britain out of the EU on Jan. 31, 2020. Yet despite Johnson’s slogan, Brexit was far from “done,” with many issues still to be resolved, including the delicate status of Northern Ireland, an ongoing source of friction between Britain and the bloc.

And then the pandemic struck. Johnson initially appeared relaxed about the threat the new coronavirus posed to the U.K., and hesitated to impose restrictions on movement and business activity.

He changed course and imposed a lockdown in late March 2020, and days later came down with COVID-19 himself, spending several nights in intensive care in a London hospital. He later said it had been “touch and go” whether he would be put on a ventilator.

Johnson’s handling of the pandemic drew decidedly mixed reviews. By nature a laissez-faire politician, he bristled at having to impose restrictions, and early on spoke rashly of the pandemic being over within weeks.

The U.K. went on to have one of the highest coronavirus death tolls in Europe, and some of the longest lockdowns. But the government got one big thing right, investing early in vaccine development and purchases and delivering doses to the bulk of the population.

The vaccination success brought Johnson a poll boost, but his troubles were growing. He faced allegations over money from a Conservative donor that he’d used to refurbish his official apartment. And he suffered a huge backlash when the government tried to change parliamentary standards rules after a lawmaker was found guilty of illicit lobbying.

The final straw came when details emerged of parties held in Johnson’s Downing Street office and home while the country was in lockdown.

The details were sometimes comic — staff smuggling booze into Downing Street in a suitcase, a supporter’s claim that Johnson had been “ambushed with a cake” at a surprise birthday party. But the anger they sparked was real. Millions of Britons had followed the rules, unable to visit friends and family or even say goodbye to dying relatives in hospitals.

Hannah Bunting, a University of Exeter lecturer who has studied public trust in politicians, said that in the past, voters were “well aware of Johnson’s flaws and this didn’t dim his electoral popularity.”

The party claims changed that, because people could “compare their actions to his,” she said. “Most of us complied with government restrictions because we thought it was in everyone’s interests. We made sacrifices to ensure people were safe.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 gave Britain’s politicians and media more urgent things to focus on. It brought a reprieve from domestic woes for Johnson, who won international praise for his military, financial and moral support for Ukraine. He traveled to Kyiv twice to meet President Voldymyr Zelenskyy, a reliable and welcome ally.

But the special election defeats of June 2022 — one in a district that had voted Conservative for a century — drove home to Conservatives that anger at “partygate” had not gone away.

Soon after, Johnson was caught changing his story on the way he handled allegations of sexual misconduct by a senior member of his government. Ministers who had defended Johnson through thick and thin had finally had enough. They quit the government in droves, leaving Johnson no choice but to resign.

Johnson’s run of miraculous escapes had finally come to an end.

Biography Online

Boris Johnson Biography

Early life of Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson was born on 19th June 1964. His full name is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson but chooses to use the shortened version of Boris.

Boris is the son of Stanley Johnson, who is descended from Turkish ancestry and a former member of the European Parliament. Boris was educated at Eton, and Balliol College, Oxford University, where he studied classics. During his time at Oxford University, he became president of the prestigious Oxford Union. It is claimed that he was the preferred candidate of the Social Democrat party, although Boris claims he was never an active participant in the centre-left party. During his time at Oxford, he also became involved in various drinking clubs, such as the Bullingdon Club. This drinking society was associated with a “Hurray Henry” mentality. Boris has maintained this impression of being an Oxford toff, into his political and public life. In his own words Boris has said:

“A wise guy playing the fool to win” [2]

The media have often referred to him as “Bozzer”.

On graduating from Oxford he spent one week as a management consultant, before having to resign he memorably said:

“Try as I might, I could not look at an overhead projection of a growth profit matrix, and stay conscious ” [3]

In 1999, his profile led him to be hired as editor of the Spectator; his position led to considerable controversy. Not least, over an editorial criticising the people of Liverpool for being “overly sentimental” in response to the murder of British hostage Ken Bigley. The editorial created uproar in Liverpool; Boris Johnson was forced by his party leader Michael Howard to travel to Liverpool to apologise for his behaviour. Boris did go to Liverpool though he faced a frosty reaction.

Boris Johnson as MP

Boris Johnson and Mayor of London

In July 2007, Boris Johnson resigned from his position as shadow education secretary so that he would be free to stand as the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. He was successful in beating the incumbent Ken Livingstone. As Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has forged a strong political identity, often criticising his own party, for example over placing a cap on housing benefits, which hurts London more than other areas. Describing his own political views, Johnson states:

“[I am] free-market, tolerant, broadly libertarian (though perhaps not ultra-libertarian), inclined to see the merit of traditions, anti-regulation, pro-immigrant, pro-standing on your own two feet, pro-alcohol, pro-hunting, pro-motorist and ready to defend to the death the right of Glenn Hoddle to believe in reincarnation.”

Boris Johnson

From 2008-16, Johnson served as Mayor of London becoming one of the highest-profile politicians in the UK. He has often been rumoured as a credible leadership candidate for the Conservative party, though he often denied this. In 2012, Johnson was re-elected Mayor of London, again defeating Ken Livingstone.

How did Boris Johnson become Mayor of London?

• Developed a high media profile through appearances on TV
• Ability to turn gaffes into public relation successes.
• An appeal to young people across traditional party boundaries.
• Gave the impression of charismatic and unique personality, an increasing rarity in modern politics.
• It was partly a backlash against the Labour government in 2007, but primarily because of Johnson’s personal profile. It is rare for Conservatives to do well in London.
• Ken Livingston had his own high public profile after eight years in the job, but there was some desire for a change

Boris Johnson and Cycling

Boris is well known for his love of cycling and frequently commutes to work through the busy streets of London. As mayor of London, he implemented an existing idea to provide hire bikes in London. For a time, they became known as the “Boris Bike”.

He has had many bikes stolen and has written extensively on the injustice of bike theft. For example, he notes that on having a bike stole people usually respond by criticising the cyclist for not taking sufficient precautions or buying a bike that is too flash. He admits that he has fantasised over leaving dummy bikes as bait for thieves and then setting the Navy Seals on to the criminals.

Boris Johnson and Have I got News for You

In 1998 Boris Johnson first appeared on Have I Got News for You . His appearance was considered a success, and he was invited back for future episodes and also twice to host the show. Johnson’s comedy persona of playing the ‘Upper-Class Twit’ made him a media celebrity and raised his profile beyond the political class. Usually, the show lasts for 30 minutes. With Boris in the chair, there were frequent pauses and extra time getting through questions. Merton and Hislop affectionately refer to Johnson as “Wodehousian”, and agree that “every time he’s on it gets better”.

Some of his quotes from the show include:

“We’re moving irresistibly towards a conclusion.” “Badgers badgers badger badger badgers.” “There may be a reason I can’t think of, but the problem with that reason is that I can’t think of it now.” “I think I was once given cocaine, but I sneezed, so it didn’t go up my nose. In fact, it may have been icing sugar.” “I could not fail to disagree with you less.” [1]

– Boris Johnson, Have I Got News for You

Boris Johnson and London Olympics

Boris was a key figurehead for the successful 2012 London Olympics. Even getting stuck on a high wire, did Boris no harm. At the end of the London Olympics, Johnson said:

“But I suppose there are two emotions – one is obviously some sadness that it is all over, because it’s been an amazing experience, but also a great relief because there is no doubt it has been a prodigious exertion by London and by Londoners.”

Boris Johnson and EU Referendum

In February 2016, Boris Johnson announced he would back the Vote Leave campaign. His decision to support Vote Leave rather than the PM’s ‘Remain’ campaign was seen as a highly influential decision – as his high profile could swing many undecided voters. Johnson, who had previously spoken of the benefits of the Single Market, stated it was a difficult decision. Indeed Boris Johnson wrote two articles – one supporting Leave, one supporting Remain. He stated he wrote two different articles to help make up his mind. Critics argued it showed his insincerity and some feel his decision to support Vote Leave was partly motivated by the belief it would help best his political career.

On the eve of the Referendum, Johnson appeared on a live TV debate and declared 23 June could be “Britain’s independence day”. Against many expectations, Britain voted to leave EU by a majority of 52% – 48%. After the result, the Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, leading to a leadership campaign for the Conservative Party. It was expected Boris Johnson would be the front-runner as he was the most popular with party activists. However, to many people’s surprise, his fellow Vote Leave campaigner Michael Gove announced his decision to stand, causing Johnson to re-evaluate and unexpectedly announce he would not stand after all. In the end, Theresa May, who nominally supported Vote Remain was chosen as party leader.

Despite differences with Theresa May, she appointed Johnson as Foreign Secretary. Boris Johnson later resigned critical of the direction of Theresa May and her withdrawal bill.

In the summer of 2019, Johnson won the leadership contest for the Conservative Party becoming Prime Minister. His main commitment was to take take the UK out of the EU by 31 October 2019 – saying he would rather ‘die in a ditch than ask for a Brexit extension’. However, Johnson lost his first six votes in Parliament. As Parliament passed a bill preventing the UK from leaving the EU without a deal. Johnson also lost a vote to gain an early election.

2019 election

In the November 2019 election, Boris Johnson was elected Prime Minister with a large majority, gaining 43% of the vote – with the Conservatives gaining seats in pro-Brexit Labour heartlands in the north and Midlands. His slogan of “Get Brexit Done” appealed to those who had voted Brexit in the 2016 referendum. Johnson benefitted from the unpopularity of the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who was seen as far left. Despite the large majority, his popularity ratings were – 22 – a reflection of his divisive politics and legacy of appearing to tell lies or misleading statements.

In 2020, Boris Johnson headed up the UK’s government response to Covid-19, ordering a lockdown in March. He test positive himself for the virus in early April 2020. He was taken to St. Thomas’ Hospital and intensive care after his symptoms worsened. He received around the clock care from two nurses. After spending time in hospital he was released when his symptoms improved. Boris Johnson praised “the brilliant care he has received.” and stated that it could have gone either way.

In 2021/22, details emerged that unauthorised parties had taken place in number 10 Downing Street – when the rest of the country was in lockdown. Initially, Boris Johnson tried to deny he had broken any rules, but his position increasingly looked untenable as more details emerged of the extent and number at the parties. His former chief of staff Dominic Cummings was a key figure in leaking details of the parties, saying that “It is his duty to get rid of Boris Johnson.”

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan .  “Biography of Boris Johnson ”, Oxford, UK.  www.biographyonline.net , Published 11th Feb 2013. Last updated 10 Jan 2022.

Johnson’s Life of London

Boris Johnson has authored several books on Ancient Rome, Winston Churchill and a best selling account of the history of London.

Johnson’s Life of London at Amazon

[1] 2004 winner of the Foot in Mouth Award from the Plain English Campaign, for his comment on the 12 December 2003 edition of Have I Got News For You [1]

[2] Boris Johnson, Sunday Times, 16 July 2000, p. 17.

[3] The Herald (Glasgow), 13 November 2004, p. 15.

Related pages

Boris Johnson Links

• Boris Johnson Quotes
• Boris Johnson.com – official site of Boris Johnson
• Boris Johnson – Have I got views for you at Amazon.co.uk
• Boris Johnson – Have I got views for you at Amazon.com

From scandal, cunning and betrayal to a disgraced downfall, we explore how Boris Johnson's career has shaped the future of Britain

How did Boris's chaotic childhood shape his political views? We discover how the clashes and rivalries of his youth dictated the key decisions that he made in his pursuit of power.

How did Boris's chaotic childhood and rivalries of his youth shape his political views?

Boris becomes favourite to be the next PM. But he's soon betrayed and outmanoeuvred...

As scandals from Boris's private life emerge, he makes some outlandish moves...

The Partygate scandals lead to public outcry and Boris's political ousting

Advertisement

People also watched

Zeze millz explores what it means to be young, black and right-wing in britain. she meets right-wing groups, uncovers their views, and considers where she is on the political spectrum. young, black and right-wing, emmy-winning documentary special that reveals what it's really like to work in the white house. featuring interviews with real west wing staff and presidents clinton, carter and ford. the west wing: documentary special, an investigation into a series of deaths, including suicide, by disabled benefits claimants. what impact did government failings have on those who died truth about disability benefits: dispatches, dispatches examines the influence of dominic cummings and seumas milne, controversial advisors to boris johnson and jeremy corbyn. are they driven by party politics or their own agendas the men who really run britain: dispatches, as a young reporter, jon snow reported live on margaret thatcher becoming britain's first female prime minister. jon shares his personal recollections of the woman who dominated his early career. maggie & me, created for the 60th anniversary of the assassination of john f kennedy, this is a unique, moment-by-moment view of the tragic events in dallas on 22 november 1963 jfk: 24 hours that changed the world, with his mafia wiseguy links and access to entertainment industry star power, frank sinatra helped john f kennedy into the white house in 1960. but it all came to a bitter end. kennedy, sinatra and the mafia, spotting the tricks politicians use to persuade and influence us - with rick edwards rick's tricks of the political trade.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Boris Johnson offered to pay for help writing Shakespeare biography, says scholar

Academic was asked to be available at short notice ‘when Johnson found space in his diary’, but turned the project down

One of the UK’s most eminent Shakespeare scholars has revealed that they were approached by a representative of Boris Johnson to help him write his very delayed biography of the Bard.

The book, titled Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius, and Johnson’s failure to finish it, recently made its way back into the news after Downing Street was forced to deny rumours that the prime minister had missed important Cobra meetings during the pandemic in order to work on the manuscript.

In mid-2015 Johnson, who was then the London mayor, signed a deal with Hodder & Stoughton to write the book for a reported £500,000. Publication has been repeatedly pushed back, with Johnson saying in 2019 that being PM meant “that I won’t be able to rapidly complete a book on Shakespeare that I have in preparation. I honestly say that will grieve me.”

The Shakespeare academic, who did not wish to be named, told the Guardian they were contacted by an agent acting for Johnson in late 2015 and asked to attend briefing meetings with him, where the academic would “supply Mr Johnson (and a dictaphone) with answers to questions about Shakespeare”.

They were told Johnson had used the same method – of recording extensive sessions with an academic dictating, then rewording the responses – to complete his bestselling 2014 biography of Winston Churchill, The Churchill Factor .

“The originality and brilliance, his agent assured me, would lie in Mr Johnson’s choice of questions to ask and in the inimitable way in which he would write up the expert answers he received,” said the Shakespearean, who went on to decline the opportunity.

According to a recent report in The Fence’s newsletter , the historian Warren Dockter “acted as a sort of guide through the literature and evidence” for The Churchill Factor, but Johnson, a former journalist, was credited with having done “all the heavy lifting”. Johnson reportedly recorded himself “extemporising on scenes from Churchill’s life” early in the morning, sending draft chapters to Dockter by 5am for “fact-checking and review”. Dockter, who has been described as Johnson’s “research assistant” and assembled the book’s bibliography, is not credited in the book, but is thanked in the acknowledgments.

The leading Shakespearean said they had not been tempted to take on a similar role for Johnson’s tome on the Bard. “For one thing, the agent suggested that I would need to be perpetually available at short notice to come to meet Mr Johnson at points when he found space in his diary. The fact that I already have a full-time job and that I do it a long way from Westminster didn’t seem to have occurred to them,” they said.

Johnson’s politics did not help matters. “At the time Mr Johnson hadn’t yet betrayed his continent by choosing to advocate the UK’s departure from the EU for his own personal advantage, so he wasn’t quite as politically toxic as he is now; but I assumed he would be trying to enlist Shakespeare as a Tory nationalist, so the idea didn’t much appeal,” said the academic. “I suppose I might imaginably have tried one briefing out of curiosity, if the money had been huge, but even that wouldn’t have been very practicable.”

The Guardian approached a number of leading Shakespeareans this week to see if they had also been approached by Johnson or his representatives to work on the book. Most had not been contacted, but were somewhat scathing about the project’s prospects.

“Rather to my disappointment, I haven’t heard anything about this, directly or indirectly. Not stonewalling: I should be absolutely delighted to help puncture BJ’s undeserved reputation as a thinker,” said a second Shakespeare academic.

A third said that consulting with scholars was “a legitimate enough way of writing”, but hoped that Johnson “would acknowledge the assistance he got”.

“My feeling is that he’s got a perfect right to write a book about Shakespeare, and I feel that Johnson’s book shouldn’t be judged before it comes. But at the same time, it does sound from the rumours as if it’s going to be ghostwritten to a rather high extent,” they said.

Jonathan Bate, author of the biography The Genius of Shakespeare, had advice for Johnson: “Don’t waste everyone’s time with a sub-par biography based on secondhand research – write a more personal book about what Shakespeare has taught you about the important things in your life such as sex, ambition and betrayal. He has a lot to say about those great themes.”

Johnson’s book is now listed as due for publication in March 2022 by its US publisher Riverhead, although UK publisher said in 2019 that it has no plans to publish the book “for the foreseeable future”.

In a statement, a Hodder & Stoughton spokesperson said: “After the success of Boris Johnson’s The Churchill Factor, Hodder & Stoughton contracted him to write a book about Shakespeare, originally planning to tie in with the Shakespeare anniversary in 2016. When Boris Johnson became foreign secretary we agreed that we would delay publication until a more suitable time, and we have not scheduled the book to be released in the foreseeable future.”

A spokesperson for Johnson declined to comment.

• Boris Johnson
• William Shakespeare
• Biography books

Most viewed

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

‘He’s Always Been Hungry for This’: Meet Ireland’s Youngest Ever Leader

After a swift political rise, Simon Harris, 37, was confirmed as Ireland’s premier. But his time as head of the government could be short.

By Megan Specia

Reporting from London

Simon Harris was three years into a university degree when he dropped out in 2008.

A job had come up as a parliamentary assistant to an Irish senator, and Mr. Harris, an ambitious 20-year-old from a coastal town in County Wicklow, south of Dublin, saw “an opportunity to try and make a difference,” he later told Hot Press, a Dublin-based magazine.

He never looked back. On Tuesday afternoon, at 37, he became the Republic of Ireland’s youngest ever head of government, the culmination of a swift political rise to a post he has long aspired to.

Speaking in front of the Parliament shortly after he was confirmed in the role, Mr. Harris said he accepted “this new role in a spirit of humility, ready for the challenge, and full of energy and determination about what can be achieved.”

“He’s always been hungry for this role,” said David Farrell, a professor of politics at University College Dublin, noting that although Mr. Harris was young, he was not lacking in political experience. “His career has been short, but it’s been meteoric.”

But Mr. Harris reached the top at a moment when his center-right party, Fine Gael, has stagnated in the polls . And unless he can revive its fortunes, his time as premier may also be short-lived.

By the end of March 2025, Ireland will hold a general election that could see Sinn Féin, the Irish left-wing nationalist party that won the popular vote in 2020 , garner enough seats to form a government. Support for traditional parties has waned in the wake of a cost of living crisis and a severe housing shortage.

Mr. Harris was propelled to the leadership of Fine Gael by the surprise resignation of his predecessor, Leo Varadkar , last month. The party governs Ireland in coalition with two others, and Mr. Harris became taoiseach (pronounced TEE-shock), or prime minister because of a quirk of the coalition arrangement rather than a reflection of any national public endorsement.

Supporters say Mr. Harris — seen by many as an energetic and devoted politician — is up for the challenge of steering the government at a difficult moment.

The senator who hired the 20-year-old Mr. Harris in 2008, Frances Fitzgerald, a Fine Gael member of the European Parliament, was the leader of the opposition in the upper house of Ireland’s legislature at the time. She became his longtime mentor.

“I think the reason that he has gone so far over such a relatively short period is that he has always believed in the power of politics,” she said, adding: “He doesn’t necessarily do the obvious. What I admire most is that he has the courage to go with his gut.”

‘Politicized at a young age’

The son of a taxi driver and a teaching assistant for children with special education needs, Mr. Harris grew up in County Wicklow, and set up an autism awareness charity when he was a teenager.

Speaking to the Irish broadcaster RTÉ in 2002 as a 15-year-old, he said that his younger brother, who is autistic, had inspired him to act.

“I was really frustrated, as that moody, opinionated teenager, with the lack of information around autism, I saw the stress and strain my parents went through,” Mr. Harris recalled in the 2022 Hot Press interview. “I ended up finding myself politicized at a young age.”

He studied journalism and French before being hired by Ms. Fitzgerald, and then threw himself into local politics, becoming a county councilor at 22 and being elected to the Irish Parliament at 24. He was later appointed minister for health, a top cabinet post, in a major vote of confidence from Enda Kenny, then the taoiseach.

Mr. Harris was confirmed to the top job in a vote in Parliament on Tuesday, as his grandmother, parents, wife and two children were in the gallery watching.

He said he would “not be standing here today” without the support of his parents and his wife, and then told his children, “I promise, being your dad will remain my most important job.”

Mr. Harris has already been nicknamed the TikTok Taoiseach because of his enthusiastic posting on the social video app. His account has earned nearly two million likes since he started it in 2021.

In one shaky selfie, he invites viewers to join him for a quick chat while out for a walk . A supercut overlaid with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Can’t Stop” was posted this week , showing Mr. Harris holding babies and shaking hands while campaigning.

The videos can feel earnest and occasionally awkward. But there is an informality about them that may resonate with voters, analysts said.

“He is an excellent communicator, very articulate, quick on his feet,” said Eoin O’Malley, an associate professor in political science at Dublin City University. “And I think that is what people see in him.”

An ambitious pragmatist

The millennial Mr. Harris has long embraced his youth as a selling point, analysts say. In 2018, while he was health minister, Ireland held a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment, the constitutional provision that effectively banned abortion. Mr. Harris won plaudits from many young people for his prominent efforts in favor of repeal.

Years earlier, he had expressed a desire to keep the anti-abortion measures intact, and Ms. Fitzgerald said his shift was not something that many would have anticipated. “I think I would describe him as someone who is very open to learning,” she said. “I think he listened to people, and he was learning firsthand as he listened to women’s stories.”

But that pragmatism can also be seen as a weakness, Professor O’Malley said, noting, “It’s still very hard to know exactly what he is or who he is.”

As public opinion has changed on some issues, Mr. Harris “moved fairly radically,” the professor said.

“That could be argued is a sign of somebody who’s kind of pragmatic and open, willing to change their mind about things,” Professor O’Malley added. “But others might say more cynically, that he doesn’t have strong principles or beliefs — basically, that he’s a fan of popularity rather than principle.”

A difficult task

The new premier will face steep challenges as he leads his party into local and European elections in June, and a general election next year.

Fine Gael came third in 2020, while Sinn Féin — which has historically called for uniting Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with the Republic of Ireland — won the popular vote for the first time, upsetting the longstanding dominance of Fine Gael and its traditional rival, Fianna Fáil.

Sinn Féin did not win enough seats to form a government though, so the rival parties formed a coalition alongside the Greens.

Polls suggest that Fine Gael’s appeal has dropped further since 2020 as the coalition has faced growing criticism over a housing shortage and a backlash over immigration .

The shift in leadership could yet have an energizing effect on the party, said Professor O’Malley, who likened the change to a new soccer coach coming in to take over a team. Recent polling suggested a small bump for the party since Mr. Harris became leader.

“To some extent, it doesn’t matter whether that person brings in new tactics or a new training regime, just being there kind of buoys everybody,” Professor O’Malley said, extending the soccer metaphor.

And while the verve of Mr. Harris’s predecessor, Mr. Varadkar, had palpably waned by the end of his tenure, Professor O’Malley said, “Nobody could argue that Simon Harris is low energy.”

Megan Specia reports on Britain, Ireland and the Ukraine war for The Times. She is based in London. More about Megan Specia