Boris Johnson Elected New Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Conservative party members have elected Boris Johnson the new leader of the Conservative Party. By default, the appointment makes him the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Johnson is a former Mayor of London, former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and current Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Originally a journalist for The Times in the 1990s,Johnson falsified a quotation, which led to his sacking and his move to The Daily Telegraph, where he remained until becoming the editor of The Spectator in 1999. Johnson was also elected to parliament as the Member of Parliament for Henley in 2001 and held this position for seven years until his election to the London Mayoralty in 2008.
Johnson’s time as London mayor is notable for his successful overseeing of the 2012 London Olympics. Following his second term as Mayor of London, Johnson entered parliament again, this time as Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. A highly divisive figure, Johnson held prominence during the Brexit campaign. A hardline Brexiter, Johnson was a figurehead of the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign and is now tasked with leading Brexit negotiations as the United Kingdom passes three years following the European Union membership referendum in June 2016. Johnson has vowed to negotiate a Brexit deal by October 31st or else pull the United Kingdom out of the European Union without any trade agreements or arrangements for free movement of people between states. A ‘no deal brexit’, as such, is viewed by many prominent figures including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and John Major as a poor option for Brexit.
Johnson is widely controversial. Amongst statements he’s made that have been branded racist, sexist and islamophobic, he has faced misconduct in public office charges related to alleged lying about spending on European Union membership by the United Kingdom. He is often described as ‘brash’ and his actions have lead to comparisons to Donald Trump, a notion that Trump himself addressed in his congratulatory statement to Johnson, stating “they call him Britain Trump. That’s a good thing.”
With Johnson now set to assume office in the coming days, the United Kingdom is now to enter a new period of leadership and Brexit negotiations that will set 2019 on course to be a highly eventful year.
The election was held after former leader Theresa May resigned earlier in the year, following her third failed attempt to pass a Brexit agreement in Parliament.
The author would also like it known that he believes Boris Johnson looks like a Little Britain character.