Following the UK’s 2016 Brexit vote, Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation.
This paved the way for Cameron’s longtime political rival, Boris Johnson, to succeed
him as Prime Minister later this year.
So, who is Boris Johnson?
And how likely is it that he’ll be the UK’s next PM?
Well, Boris Johnson, also known as “Bojo”, is a right-leaning Member of Parliament and
was Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016.
Johnson is technically a member of the UK’s Conservative Party, but is often described
as a libertarian due to his push for small government and criticism of the EU, coupled
with his support for socially liberal causes, like legalizing marijuana.
As mayor, Johnson became well-known in UK politics, largely for supporting international
trade missions and campaigning for the 2012 games held in London.
He simultaneously earned pop-culture stardom for his financial scandals, romantic entanglements
and public antics.
For instance during the 2012 games, Johnson famously got stuck while ziplining over London,
and was left waving a union jack in each hand.
This type of outlandish behavior has earned Johnson the nickname “the Donald Trump of
the UK”.
And indeed, the two populist conservatives share a number of similarities.
Both were born in New York City and later went to prestigious universities, and both
sport unmistakable hairstyles.
Like Trump, Johnson is often praised for his tell-it-like-it-is humor, while also criticized
for his racist, chauvinistic and often inaccurate rhetoric.
Most infamously, Johnson described former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, as a “mixture
of Harry Houdini and a greased piglet” and, in 2015, he was caught on video telling a
London cab driver to [quote] “eff off and die”.
It may come as a surprise that Johnson has a long-time competitive relationship with
Prime Minister, David Cameron, stemming back to their college years.
At Oxford, both were members of the infamous Bullingdon [bull-ing-don] Club, a well known
upper-class fraternity.
In 2001, the two “frenemies” competed against each other for a seat in parliament,
and Cameron won.
But their most ferocious competition began in early 2016, when Johnson publicly announced
he would join the Brexit effort to leave, directly opposing Cameron’s bid to stay
Johnson’s outspoken support of Brexit is believed to be a huge factor in why voters
actually chose to leave, and despite his polarizing opinions, his term as mayor was marked by
a 54% approval rating.
However, that same poll showed that only 33% of Londoners believe he would be a good Prime
Minister.
And, in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, public opinion of the historically well-liked
politician has taken a hit.
Johnson was recently booed by an angry crowd while leaving his London home, Meanwhile,
his own party has manifested an “Anyone But Boris” campaign to block his chances
of becoming PM.
In the coming months, Johnson stands a good chance of being appointed the interim Prime
Minister by his party, which holds a majority in Parliament.
But when the inevitable General Election occurs, there is no guarantee Johnson will bid fare
well.
The future of the UK following Brexit is incredibly uncertain, but the immediate effects have
been dramatic.
Learn more about what we know and what might happen in the coming years by watching this
video