PEOPLE
FROM NEWS MEDIA CELEBRITY TO PRIME MINISTER, WHO IS BORIS JOHNSON? The United Kingdom was in the middle of a Brexit mess when it saw a leadership shakeup at the highest level. WORDS BY EMILY WILCOX
B
oris Johnson is the current prime minister of the United Kingdom after having stepped into the role in the middle of the political controversy that is Brexit. Brexit has been on the minds of people living in the U.K. for the past three years and has only gotten more complicated as time has passed. “Europeans are exasperated and it just makes the U.K. look stupid to the EU,” said Dr. Martin D. Brown, assistant professor of international history at Richmond, the American International University in London. “Whatever status Britain had in Europe has been lost over the last two or three years and we have become a laughingstock.” Brown stated that he has not been impressed by Johnson’s career and ascension to the office of prime minister. According to Brown, Johnson used his fame and the political turmoil of Brexit to secure his place. “He saw the Brexit campaign as a way to get himself into 10 Downing Street,” Brown said. So how did he get into 10 Downing Street? Born in New York City, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson moved to London with his family as a little boy and attended school in England. It didn’t take him long during his schooling to discover a love for writing, which led to a long career in journalism. He was fired from his job at The Times for the fabrication of a quote but continued writing up until, and during, his time as a member of Parliament. Being fired from a major publication company was not the most controversial aspect of Johnson’s journalism career. He was forced to make a public apology to the city of Liverpool after an insensitive post in The Spectator. The post referenced the 1989
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Lost to Labour Party
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Became a favorite
Hillsborough Disaster in which 96 people lost their lives; Johnson claimed the city was still holding onto “victim status.” Johnson also has been caught in a slew of controversies, including rumors of affairs and allegations of his daughter being caught unconscious with a former Russian intelligence officer who had acted as a double secret agent for Britain. Johnson first began his long journey to prime minister in 1997 when he ran for a seat in Parliament under the Conservative Party and lost. However, he gained popularity during his election process, and in 1998, began to appear on television because of his blunt and irreverent language. Brown said during this time he seemed to “come across as a somewhat loveable, bubbling, overgrown schoolboy, and he is still portraying himself this way.” In 2001, he was officially given a seat in Parliament, running for the Conservative Party. He kept his seat in the 2005 election, but in 2008, he ran for mayor of London and won. This gave him even more popularity before returning to Parliament in 2015 to work closely with Theresa May as her foreign secretary. During his time in this role, he became an outspoken critic of May, stating she was “too soft,” while pushing his case for a hard Brexit, meaning a split from the EU will no strings attached. Soon after, May resigned as PM, and the path was already paved for Johnson to be elected as the new PM. Dr. Tim Haughton, professor of political science and international studies at the University of Birmingham, has seen firsthand the impact Johnson has had on Parliament. Haughton said he believes Johnson is
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beginning a power trip that may end in dire consequences. “Before, I viewed him as a funny and rather eccentric politician who seemed to be able to appeal across the traditional divide of politics,” Haughton said. “My view of Boris Johnson changed with the 2016 referendum. I now view him as a mendacious and unprincipled man who will do anything to acquire and retain power.” Now, Johnson continues to push for a hard Brexit, and the U.K. and the EU hope to make a decision soon. Ten months after March 29, 2019, the original date of Brexit, Parliament is still cautious of Johnson’s “hardlined” divorce. Brexit is continuing to be pushed back, even to the beginning of 2020, and the new PM has failed to live up to his promises to make this a quicker process than it would have been under May. Haughton feels that Johnson’s talents may be better suited in a position like party chairman. But for now, Haughton feels the future of the U.K. with Johnson as PM is hard to predict. “He has had some successes such as securing a new withdrawal agreement with the EU and getting MPs to back it,” Haughton said. “He has taken risky strategies as prime minister, and we will see if his gamble pays off.” The future of the U.K. is still unknown, and whatever happens next with Brexit, the national sovereignty Britain was looking for so badly is now gone. “We have to be careful what we say about people who get into politics originally coming from TV shows,” Brown said.
2008
2015
2019
Rose to fame
Despite public
Won Mayor of
Returned to
Elected as prime minister after
when running for
on TV due to
appearing on TV more
rebukes, Johnson was
London election by a
Parliament as MP
prime minister.
his “bumbling
and more. However, he
reelected to his seat
slim margin.
after winning the
Theresa May
demeanour and
got into some trouble
in parliament.
general election.
stepped down.
irreverent remarks.”
due to his fame.
06 I
FALL 2019
