Boris Johnson

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson Hon FRIBA (/ˈfɛfəl/,[2] born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously was Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015 to 2023, having previously been MP for Henley from 2001 to 2008.

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The Right Honourable Boris Johnson Hon FRIBA
Official portrait, 2019
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 24 July 2019 – 6 September 2022
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	Dominic Raab[lower-alpha 1]
Preceded by	Theresa May
Succeeded by	Liz Truss
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office 23 July 2019 – 5 September 2022
Preceded by	Theresa May
Succeeded by	Liz Truss
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office 13 July 2016 – 9 July 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Philip Hammond
Succeeded by	Jeremy Hunt
Mayor of London
In office 3 May 2008 – 9 May 2016
Deputy	Richard Barnes Victoria Borwick Roger Evans
Preceded by	Ken Livingstone
Succeeded by	Sadiq Khan
Shadow Minister
2004	Arts
2005–2007	Higher Education
Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip
In office 7 May 2015 – 12 June 2023
Preceded by	John Randall
Succeeded by	Steve Tuckwell
Member of Parliament for Henley
In office 7 June 2001 – 4 June 2008
Preceded by	Michael Heseltine
Succeeded by	John Howell
Personal details
Born	Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (1964-06-19) 19 June 1964 (age 59) New York City, US
Citizenship	United Kingdom United States (until 2016)[1]
Political party	Conservative
Spouses	Allegra Mostyn-Owen ​ ​ (1987⁠–⁠1993)​ Marina Wheeler ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2020)​ Carrie Symonds ​ (m. 2021)​
Parents	Stanley Johnson Charlotte Fawcett
Relatives	Rachel Johnson (sister) Jo Johnson (brother) Julia Johnson (half-sister) James Fawcett (grandfather) Edmund Fawcett (uncle) Ali Kemal (great-grandfather) Elias Avery Lowe (great-grandfather) Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter (great-grandmother) Lara Johnson-Wheeler (daughter)
Residence	Brightwell Manor
Education	Eton College Balliol College, Oxford (BA)
Occupation	Politician author journalist
Signature
Website	UK Parliament profile
Writing career
Genre	Non-fiction
Notable works	Friends, Voters, Countrymen (2002) Seventy-Two Virgins (2004) The Dream of Rome (2006) The Churchill Factor (2014)
Boris Johnson's voice Johnson's address to the nation on its departure from the European Union Recorded 31 January 2020

This article is part of a series about Boris Johnson
Political positions Electoral history Public image MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP for Henley Editor of The Spectator Mayor of London Mayoralty 2008 mayoral election London Britannia Airport Santander Cycles New Routemaster 2011 riots 2012 mayoral election London Cable Car 2012 Summer Olympics 2012 Summer Paralympics Garden Bridge European Union referendum Brexit causes Vote Leave EU referendum aftermath 2016 leadership election Foreign Secretary Foreign Office under Boris Johnson Yemen intervention Zaghari-Ratcliffe case 2018 Salisbury attack Chequers plan Party leadership campaigns 2019 election polling endorsements reactions Darroch resignation 2022 explored candidacy endorsements Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Premiership International trips Minister for the Union First ministry and term First ministry Suspension of rebel MPs Brexit Benn Act 2019 prorogation Supreme Court case Brexit deal renegotiation revised deal 2019 general election Get Brexit Done Second ministry and term Second ministry departures 2020 reshuffle 2021 reshuffle EU Withdrawal Agreement Northern Ireland Protocol EU trade negotiation cooperation agreement COVID-19 pandemic government response lockdown vaccinations contracts contract controversies Dominic Cummings scandal Partygate Privileges Committee investigation Death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Evacuations from Afghanistan Levelling up COP26 Refurb controversy Owen Paterson scandal Rwanda asylum plan Proposed NI increase Russian invasion of Ukraine economic impact British aid to Ukraine Cost of living crisis Conservative Party confidence vote Chris Pincher scandal Government crisis July 2022 reshuffle leadership election House of Commons confidence vote Resignation Honours Bibliography Friends, Voters, Countrymen Seventy-Two Virgins The Dream of Rome The Churchill Factor In popular culture When Boris Met Dave Brexit: The Uncivil War This England Boris Johnson Is a Fucking Cunt Boris Johnson Is Still a Fucking Cunt Boris: The Rise of Boris Johnson Boris v. Ken
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Johnson attended Eton College and studied Classics at Balliol College, Oxford. He was elected president of the Oxford Union in 1986. In 1989, he became the Brussels correspondent – and later political columnist – for The Daily Telegraph, and from 1999 to 2005 he was the editor of The Spectator. Following his election to Parliament in 2001, he became a member of the shadow cabinets of Michael Howard and later David Cameron. Johnson was elected Mayor of London in 2008 and resigned from the House of Commons. He was re-elected mayor in 2012. In the 2015 general election he was elected MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, and the following year did not seek re-election as mayor. Johnson was a prominent figure in the successful Vote Leave campaign for Brexit in the 2016 European Union membership referendum. After the referendum, Prime Minister Theresa May appointed him foreign secretary in her cabinet. He resigned from the position in 2018 in protest at both the Chequers Agreement and May's approach to Brexit.

Johnson defeated Jeremy Hunt in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election to succeed May, who resigned after Parliament's repeated rejections of her Brexit withdrawal agreement. Johnson re-opened Brexit negotiations and in early September prorogued Parliament, with the Supreme Court later that month ruling the action to have been unlawful.[lower-alpha 2] After agreeing to a revised Brexit withdrawal agreement which replaced the Irish backstop with the Northern Ireland Protocol, but failing to win parliamentary support for the agreement, Johnson called a snap general election to be held in December 2019. In the election, he led the Conservative Party to their largest victory since 1987. On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union and entered a transition period of trade negotiations that led to the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

A decisive event that occurred during Johnson's premiership was the COVID-19 pandemic. The government responded to the pandemic by introducing various emergency powers and measures across the country to mitigate its impact and approved the rollout of a nationwide vaccination programme. He also responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by imposing sanctions on Russia and authorising foreign aid and weapons shipments to Ukraine.[4] In the Partygate scandal it was found that multiple parties had been held at 10 Downing Street during national COVID-19 lockdowns, and COVID-19 social distancing laws were breached by 83 individuals, including Johnson, who in April 2022 was issued with a fixed penalty notice. The publishing of the Sue Gray report in May 2022 and a widespread sense of dissatisfaction led in June 2022 to a vote of confidence in his leadership among Conservative MPs, which he won. In July 2022, revelations over his appointment of Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip while knowing of allegations of sexual misconduct against him led to a mass resignation of members of the government and to Johnson announcing his resignation as prime minister. He left office on 6 September and was succeeded by Liz Truss, his foreign secretary. Johnson remained in the House of Commons as a backbencher until he resigned in June 2023, days before the Privileges Committee investigation unanimously found that he had lied to the Commons on numerous occasions.

Johnson is a controversial figure in British politics.[5][6] His supporters have praised him for being humorous, witty, and entertaining,[7] with an appeal reaching beyond traditional Conservative Party voters, making him an electoral asset to the party.[8][9] Conversely, his critics have accused him of lying, elitism, cronyism and bigotry.[10][11][12] As prime minister, his supporters praised him for "getting Brexit done", overseeing the UK's COVID-19 vaccination programme, which was initially amongst the fastest in the world, and providing global leadership following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[13][14][15] His tenure saw several controversies and scandals, and is viewed as the most scandalous premiership of modern times by historians and biographers.[16] Johnson's political positions have been described as one-nation conservative, and commentators have characterised his political style as opportunistic, populist and pragmatic.[17][18][19]