Who Is Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson is one of Britain’s most recognizable politicians. He is the current prime minister and also leader of the Conservative Party. Johnson was born in New York City, but he is a British citizen, having dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship.

Johnson studied classics at Oxford University, where he was elected president of the Oxford Union student debating organization. Johnson also served as a journalist for The Daily Telegraph, after which he was elected to Parliament in 2001. He held a variety of Cabinet positions and roles in both Tory and Labour governments before becoming Prime Minister in 2019.

In addition to running the U.K., Johnson is the author of several books and is known for his frequent public appearances, which some contemporaries describe as "boisterous." Johnson is a self-proclaimed "progressive conservative" and is widely seen as a populist who appeals to blue collar voters and is often credited with masterminding both the successful Brexit vote and the Conservative Party’s landslide victory in the 2019 general election.

Despite a controversial approach to national and international politics, Johnson’s leadership has also been widely praised for its successful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has succeeded in moving the U.K. out of lockdown earlier than other comparable countries, yet he has managed to keep the virus under control with an effective vaccination programme and manageable levels of infection.

While Johnson’s leadership is widely viewed as successful, he has recently been criticized for not properly monitoring the decision-making process for British Airways’ Covid aid package, which will allow the company to avoid paying back a portion of the taxpayer-funded money. Despite such controversies, Boris Johnson remains one of Britain’s most prominent political figures and a popular Prime Minister.