Boris Johnson Biography Quotes 5 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family Background
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was born on 19 June 1964 in New York City to Stanley Johnson and Charlotte (Wahl) Johnson. His upbringing was cosmopolitan: early years were spent between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brussels, reflecting his father's work in international and European institutions. He grew up with three siblings, Rachel, Jo, and Leo, all of whom went on to prominent careers in journalism, politics, and business. Through his paternal line he is descended from Ali Kemal, a former Ottoman interior minister, and through the de Pfeffel line he has European ancestry that informed a lifelong interest in history and identity. Born a dual US-UK citizen, he later renounced his US citizenship in 2016.

His mother, a painter, encouraged creativity and scholarship; his father, an author and later a Conservative member of the European Parliament, modeled public service and debate. The family's frequent moves, including time in Brussels when Stanley Johnson worked on environmental policy at the European Commission, exposed him early to the workings of continental institutions that he would later cover and contest.

Education and Early Journalism
Johnson was educated at Ashdown House and then Eton College, where he developed a flair for rhetoric, writing, and performance. At Balliol College, Oxford, he read Classics and immersed himself in the cut-and-thrust of student politics, serving as President of the Oxford Union in 1986. He cultivated contacts with contemporaries who would later populate British public life and honed a style of debating that blended erudition with humor.

He began his career as a trainee at The Times but left after a controversy over a misattributed quotation. He moved to The Daily Telegraph, where editor Max Hastings and later Charles Moore gave him a platform. As Brussels correspondent from 1989, he wrote lively dispatches that helped shape British Euroscepticism in the 1990s. Returning to London as a columnist and then an editor, his writing was provocative and widely read, setting the stage for his shift into politics. From 1999 to 2005 he edited The Spectator, while his regular appearances on the BBC program Have I Got News For You made him a familiar figure beyond readers of broadsheets. Owners and colleagues at the Telegraph-Spectator stable, including Conrad Black and a succession of senior editors, offered both opportunities and pressures that tested his management of a high-profile magazine.

Entry into Parliament and Rise in the Conservative Party
Johnson first stood for Parliament in 1997 in Clwyd South and was defeated, but in 2001 he was elected MP for Henley, succeeding Michael Heseltine. In opposition he served in a series of shadow roles, including shadow minister for the arts and later for higher education. His relationship with party leaders reflected the balancing act between maverick columnist and disciplined frontbencher. Under Michael Howard he was sacked from the front bench in 2004 over personal conduct, then later returned to prominence under David Cameron.

As a parliamentarian he combined cultural conservatism with fiscal hawkishness and a preference for light-touch regulation, while using humor to deflect attacks. He published books, including a popular biography of Winston Churchill, and maintained a high public profile unusual for a backbencher. His siblings Rachel and Jo became active voices in their own right: Rachel as a journalist and broadcaster, Jo as an MP and later a universities minister, underscoring the family's unusual concentration of public roles.

Mayor of London
In 2008 Johnson defeated the incumbent Ken Livingstone to become Mayor of London. He emphasized public transport, policing, and urban amenities. His administration introduced the cycle hire scheme that became colloquially known as Boris Bikes, supported the redevelopment of public spaces, and sponsored the New Routemaster bus. He took office during the global financial crisis and worked with national leaders Gordon Brown and then David Cameron to protect the City of London's interests while promoting a vision of London as an open, global hub.

The 2012 London Olympics, overseen by organizing chair Sebastian Coe, became a showcase of the city's self-confidence, with Johnson acting as chief cheerleader. His tenure included controversial projects such as the Emirates Air Line cable car and the proposed Garden Bridge, the latter later canceled after substantial preliminary spending. A push to acquire water cannon was blocked by then-Home Secretary Theresa May. Johnson won reelection in 2012, again defeating Livingstone, and concluded his second term in 2016. In 2015 he returned to Parliament as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip while still serving as mayor, drawing criticism for dual mandates but positioning himself for national leadership.

Brexit and National Leadership Ambitions
In 2016 Johnson became a leading figure in the Vote Leave campaign, alongside Michael Gove and campaign director Dominic Cummings. His advocacy for British withdrawal from the European Union was decisive for both his own career and the national debate. After the Leave vote, Prime Minister David Cameron resigned. Johnson, initially considered the frontrunner to succeed him, withdrew after Gove launched a rival bid, and Theresa May became prime minister.

May appointed Johnson Foreign Secretary in July 2016. He supported international coalition efforts and condemned the use of chemical weapons after the Salisbury poisonings in 2018, working with allies to coordinate responses to Russia. He traveled widely and grappled with diplomacy under the new US administration of Donald Trump and with European counterparts such as Jean-Yves Le Drian and Sergey Lavrov. Over Theresa May's Brexit strategy, particularly the Chequers plan, he resigned in July 2018, arguing for a cleaner break with EU rule-making.

Conservative Leadership and 2019 Mandate
After Theresa May announced her departure in 2019, Johnson won the Conservative leadership against Jeremy Hunt and became prime minister on 24 July 2019. He assembled a cabinet that included Priti Patel at the Home Office and Sajid Javid as Chancellor, with Dominic Cummings as his chief adviser. An attempt to prorogue Parliament during the Brexit impasse was ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court, reflecting an early institutional confrontation.

Johnson renegotiated parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, including a revised Northern Ireland Protocol, working with the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen and dealing with concerns from unionist leaders. He then fought a general election in December 2019 on the slogan Get Brexit Done, defeating Labour's Jeremy Corbyn and securing the Conservatives' largest majority since the 1980s. The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, and at the end of 2020 his government concluded the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU.

Pandemic Leadership and Domestic Agenda
The COVID-19 pandemic defined Johnson's premiership. Guided by scientists and clinicians on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, he announced a nationwide lockdown in March 2020. He himself contracted COVID-19 and in April 2020 was admitted to intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital in London. He publicly thanked NHS staff who treated him and returned to work emphasizing the need for caution and resolve. Rishi Sunak, who had become Chancellor after Sajid Javid's resignation in early 2020, implemented a furlough scheme to preserve jobs, while Health Secretary Matt Hancock oversaw the rapid expansion of testing and procurement of PPE amid supply strains.

The UK's vaccine rollout accelerated in late 2020 and 2021 under the oversight of vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi and NHS leaders, enabling the easing of restrictions. Johnson's government hosted the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, with Alok Sharma presiding, and pledged to a net-zero trajectory. The Levelling Up agenda sought to address regional inequality, while reforms to immigration introduced a points-based system. Throughout, he faced criticism on care home protections, exam grading in 2020 managed by Gavin Williamson, and the public communications around evolving guidance. A damaging episode was the 2020 lockdown-breach controversy involving Dominic Cummings, which eroded trust and culminated in Cummings' departure from Downing Street later that year.

Foreign Policy and War in Europe
Johnson's foreign policy highlighted a post-Brexit global posture: the AUKUS security partnership with the United States and Australia signaled a tilt to the Indo-Pacific, and he emphasized NATO cohesion. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he cultivated a close relationship with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, committing military assistance and visiting Kyiv in a show of solidarity. His government navigated the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, coordinating evacuations and facing questions about decision-making with allies, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Australia and Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the United States.

Ethics Storms, Partygate, and Fall from Office
From late 2021, revelations about gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall during lockdowns sparked the Partygate scandal. Senior civil servant Sue Gray investigated and published findings detailing breaches of guidance. The Metropolitan Police issued fines, including to Johnson and Rishi Sunak, for attending a gathering in June 2020. Other controversies included the government's initial effort to rewrite parliamentary standards rules amid the Owen Paterson lobbying case, which provoked a backlash.

Johnson survived a Conservative confidence vote in June 2022, though with significant rebellion. In July, the handling of allegations against Conservative MP Chris Pincher triggered a wave of ministerial resignations, led by Sunak and Sajid Javid. With government no longer tenable, Johnson announced his resignation as party leader on 7 July 2022, remaining as caretaker until 6 September, when Liz Truss became prime minister. Truss's short premiership ended with Rishi Sunak's succession in October 2022.

Exit from Parliament and Subsequent Work
In 2023, the House of Commons Privileges Committee concluded that Johnson had misled Parliament over assurances about gatherings during the pandemic. He rejected the findings, but he resigned as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in June 2023, triggering a by-election. Outside government he resumed writing and public speaking, including a newspaper column, and remained an influential voice in Conservative debates over economic strategy, the Northern Ireland arrangements, and Britain's place in the world.

Personal Life
Johnson has been married three times. He married Allegra Mostyn-Owen in 1987; the marriage ended in 1993. He married Marina Wheeler in 1993; they separated in 2018 and later divorced. In 2021 he married Carrie Johnson (then Carrie Symonds) in London. He has several children from these relationships, including four with Marina Wheeler and children with Carrie Johnson; he has also acknowledged a daughter from a previous relationship. His family has often been in the public eye: Carrie Johnson has been a communications professional and advocate on environmental issues; his sister Rachel Johnson is a novelist and broadcaster; his brother Jo Johnson served as a Conservative minister and later joined the House of Lords.

Known for his love of classical literature, he has published works on London, Shakespeare, and Churchill. His rhetorical style draws on historical analogy, humor, and a calculated informality that has both charmed and divided audiences. Supporters describe him as a vote-winning optimist with instinctive liberal economic views; critics emphasize lapses in discipline and detail.

Assessment and Legacy
Boris Johnson's career spans journalism, city government, and national leadership, with Brexit and the pandemic as defining events. He helped mainstream Euroscepticism, shaped Conservative electoral strategy to capture former Labour strongholds in 2019, and steered the UK out of the EU while seeking a new global role. His mayoralty is remembered for transport initiatives and civic boosterism around the 2012 Olympics. As prime minister he presided over a swift vaccine rollout and strong support for Ukraine, while suffering damage from ethics controversies that culminated in his resignation and departure from Parliament.

His story is also one of relationships and rivalries: alliances with David Cameron, Michael Gove, and Dominic Cummings that shifted into competition and rupture; cabinet roles for figures like Priti Patel, Sajid Javid, Matt Hancock, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak, who in turn shaped and challenged his leadership; and adversaries across the aisle from Jeremy Corbyn to Keir Starmer. Whether seen as a consequential disruptor or a cautionary tale about power and accountability, his impact on British politics in the early 21st century is indelible.

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