Conservative politician Boris Johnson represents Great Britain. In July 2019, he was appointed prime minister of the United Kingdom. He presided over London as mayor from 2008 until 2016. From 2001 until 2008, he represented Henley as a member of parliament (MP), and since of 2015, he represents Uxbridge and South Ruislip. From 2016 to 2018, he also served as the foreign secretary. Johnson, a well-known journalist and member of the “Conservative Party,” is also an accomplished historian. He was born in New York City to English parents, who later took him back to the UK when he was a little child. High achievers were treasured by his parents, and the little child was instilled with a competitive spirit at a young age. Good student, he received a “King’s Scholarship” to attend the elite “Eton College,” then transferred to Oxford’s “Balliol College” to study Classics. He started his career as a journalist with “The Times,” where he enjoyed great success. From 1999 to 2005, he was employed as The Spectator’s editor. He had a strong interest in politics in addition to journalism, and in 2001 he was elected as the MP for Henley to the House of Commons. Later, he worked on the front benches of the opposition, first as the shadow minister for higher education and subsequently for culture, communications, and the creative industries. Due to his enigmatic demeanor, he is regarded as a controversial figure in British politics. In the political sphere, Johnson has both admirers and opponents.
Early Childhood & Life
The eldest of four children and the son of Stanley Johnson and Charlotte Johnson Wahl, Boris Johnson was born Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson on June 19, 1964, in New York City, USA. Boris was given American and British citizenship at birth. When he was a little boy, the family relocated to the UK.
Boris was assigned to “Ashdown House,” a prep boarding school in East Sussex, and excelled academically there. He became passionate about rugby while also doing well in Latin and Ancient Greek.
He received a “King’s Scholarship” so that he could attend the esteemed “Eton College.” He showed himself to be a popular pupil. He did poorly in physics and math but did well in English and the Classics. He started contributing to the college newspaper “The Chronicle” and quickly rose to the editor.
He then went on to pursue a scholarship at Oxford’s “Balliol College” to study Classics. He gained popularity once more and was chosen as the secretary of the “Oxford Union” in 1984. He earned an upper second-class degree after specializing in the study of Classical Philosophy and Ancient Literature.
Career of Boris Johnson
When Boris Johnson started working as a graduate trainee at “The Times” in 1987, he officially started his career as a journalist. Due to issues during his time at the newspaper, he was fired from his position.
This early career setback did not deter him; he went on to become a well-respected journalist. He spent the following few years working for “The Daily Telegraph” as an assistant editor, EU correspondent, and feature writer. In 1999, he was appointed editor of “The Spectator.” Under his leadership, the magazine flourished, enhancing his standing as a very accomplished journalist.
He started pursuing his political ambitions around this time, and in 2001, he was elected to represent Henley in parliament. He maintained his position as editor of “The Spectator,” continuing to work as a journalist in addition to his full-time job as a member of parliament. Additionally, he contributed essays to GQ and The Daily Telegraph. Despite developing a reputation for stirring up controversy, he turned out to be a well-liked politician.
Boris Johnson declared his intention to run for mayor of London in the 2008 election 2007. The colorful politician defeated incumbent Ken Livingstone in the election and went on to win the highest personal electoral mandate in the United Kingdom. In May 2008, he took over as mayor of London.
One of his first actions as mayor was to outlaw drinking in public transportation. He also had a reputation for being lazy and dressing carelessly. Being a cyclist himself, he established the “Boris Bikes” public cycling program, which quickly gained popularity. Additionally, he ordered the creation of the “New Routemaster” buses for downtown London.
Boris became involved in a number of issues while in office. However, from the perspective of his devoted followers, he kept enjoying fame. He ran for re-election in the 2012 mayoral race and again challenged Livingstone. Because of the tremendous amount of support from his supporters, Boris Johnson easily secured reelection.
He was appointed co-chair of the Olympic board that managed the 2012 “London Olympic Games” during his second tenure. He improved London’s transportation before the games by introducing more buses to accommodate the tens of thousands of traveling spectators.
He was chosen as the MP for South Ruislip and Uxbridge in 2015. He remained a well-liked politician despite several claims of extramarital affairs and other issues.
Boris backed the “Vote Leave” movement during the 2015–16 Brexit campaign. He was seen as the next front-runner for the position of prime minister after its win. He turned down the Conservative nomination, though, and Theresa May was elected as prime minister instead.
From 2016 until 2018, he was Theresa May’s government’s foreign secretary. Due to his remarks over Nazanin Zaghari-five-year Ratcliffe’s prison term, he courted controversy during his tenure.
He advocated strong policies when serving as foreign secretary, fueling allegations that he disapproves of May’s leadership. He refuted the rumors, though, and left his position after going to a meeting to talk about Brexit. He subsequently signed a one-year deal to write articles for “Telegraph Media Group.”
Johnson formally announced and began his campaign for the next election following Theresa May’s resignation. On July 22, 2019, he defeated Jeremy Hunt in the election, winning 66% of the vote.
Johnson suggested that the United Kingdom leave the European Union by October 31, 2019, a deal or no deal. In order to avoid a no-deal withdrawal, he subsequently demanded a general election be held in September under the “Fixed-term Parliament Act.”
Bigger Works of Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson established “Boris Bikes,” a public bicycle rental program while serving as mayor of London. Johnson expressed his “hope that the bikes would become as popular in the capital as black cabs and red buses.” Over 90,000 users registered one million bike rides in the first ten weeks after the program’s launch in July 2010.
During his time as mayor, he also unveiled the “New Routemaster,” a double-decker hybrid diesel-electric bus that was identical to the original Routemaster bus but with new characteristics to comply with the standards for completely accessible modern vehicles. The first “New Routemaster” bus, which was first dubbed the “New Bus for London,” was introduced in February 2012.
Recognition & Achievements
He received the “Commentator of the Year Award” in 1997 at the “What the Papers Say” awards.
In 1998, he was honored as “National Journalist of the Year” by the Pagan Federation of Great Britain.
In 2003, he received the Editors’ “Editor of the Year” award.
Personal & Family Life
In 1987, Boris Johnson wed Allegra Mostyn-Owen. In 1993, the marriage was annulled.
In 1993, he married Marina Wheeler, a barrister, for a second time. Two daughters and two sons were born from this union. After 25 years of marriage, the couple separated and filed for divorce in 2018.
The art consultant Helen MacIntyre fathered a daughter with Boris Johnson, who was charged with marital adultery. Additionally, Jennifer Arcuri, a former DJ, and model has been connected to him.
He moved in with Carrie Symonds in 2019. Symonds and Johnson declared their engagement on February 29, 2020. They added that Symonds would give birth in the summer.
On May 29, 2021, at Westminster Cathedral, in a private ceremony, Boris Johnson wed Carrie Symonds.
Boris Johnson’s Net Worth
British politician Boris Johnson has a $2 million net worth. Queen Elizabeth II named Boris prime minister in July 2019, following Theresa May’s resignation as leader after her party lost the popular vote. Johnson has previously presided as London’s mayor from 2008 to 2016. He is the second Prime Minister to have been born outside of the British Isles in British history. He was born in the Big Apple.
Trivia
Since Lord Liverpool and Mary Chester were married in 1822, Boris Johnson is the only prime minister to get married while in office.