Top 10 interesting facts about Boris Johnson you probably aren’t aware
He’s been mayor of London and a prominent Leave campaigner, a newspaper columnist and foreign secretary, but what interesting facts didn’t you know about the Conservative leader? A great literary genius and undoubtedly, one of the foul-mouthed political behemoths. Whether you know him well or not, these top 10 facts about the UK Prime Minister will take your breath away.
#10: First UK Prime Minister to adopt the title “Minister for the Union”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson
The Minister for the Union is a position created by Boris Johnson during his first ministry. This title is held concurrently with his duties as Prime Minister. The title was proposed by Johnson himself during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership campaign. The office is intended to emphasize Johnson’s commitment to strengthening the bond between the countries of the United Kingdom.
#9: Boris fabricated a quote in an article he wrote for The Times newspaper
PM Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson first foray into journalism was in 1987 when he landed a job at The Times through a family connection. However, Boris was subsequently fired shortly thereafter for making up a quote in a story about Edward II. It is interesting to note that Boris was fired for a front-page fabrication within months – on his very first front page story. The story centered on the discovery of Rose palace, built by Edward II, who famously had a same-sex lover.
#8: Boris had extramarital affair and was fired for alledgedly lying about it
Boris Jonnson and his wife towards the end of their marriage
Boris Johnson was sacked from his party’s front bench over shocking claims about his love life.His fate was sealed by the mother of his alledged mistress, Petronella Wyatt, who said her daughter had become pregnant by him and had an abortion the preceding month. Boris Johnson was a married man with four children. He categorically dismissed the allegations as an “inverted pyramid of piffle” – and assured the Tory leader Michael Howard that the claims had no truism in them. Notwithstanding, days later, Howard announced that Boris was “relieved of his responsibilities”.
#7: Boris once called Hillary Clinton a “sadistic nurse in a mental hospital.”
Hillary Clinton – left, and Boris Johnson -right
Writing for the Britain’s Daily Telegraph in November 2007, Boris Johnson endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid in a rather strange way. Boris wrote that Hillary has “got dyed blonde hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital”.
Boris said he wasn’t supporting Hillary Clinton because he was a fan of her but because he wanted his husband Bill Clinton back to the white house. He wrote that “For all who love America, it is time to think of supporting Hillary, not because we necessarily want her for herself but because we want Bill in the role of First Husband.”
#6: Boris called former President Barack Obama “the Part-Kenyan President”
Barack Obama
Writing in The Sun tabloid, Boris called Obama a “part-Kenyan president” – referring to the birth country of Obama’s father. He went on to claim that President Obama has “ancestral dislike of the British empire”. Boris Johnson indeed has earned a reputation as Britain’s flamboyant politician and a man who easily offends at every turn.
It should be noted that Barack Obama was one of the world leaders who publicly spoke against Brexit and called for a more united front within the European union. Boris, on the other hand, was one of the leading voices of the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. This put Obama on the opposite side of Boris’s argument. Boris Jonhson claimed Obama’s views on the EU were “incoherent…inconsistent and … downright hypocritical.”
#5:Boris called Burkhas ‘opperssive’ and compared the Burkha-clad Muslim women to ‘letterboxes’
Boris Johnson – left, Muslim woman clad in Burkha – right
Boris Johnson in a Telegraph column worte that Muslim women wearing full-face veils “look like letter boxes” and compared their appearance to “bank robbers”. He claimed the burkha is “oppressive”. This forced a flurry of criticisms from the upper echelons of the Muslim community with the Muslim Conservative Lord Sheikh saying that Johnson, a high profile MP and a leading Brexit campaigner should no longer be allowed to represent the Conservatives – the UK’s ruling party.
Following the remarks, Muslim Conservative Baroness Warsi renewed her call for the Conservatives to conduct an independent inquiry into alleged Islamophobia in the party. The unsavory remarks also pushed the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, to urge Johnson to apologize, acknowledging that his comments were offensive.
#4: The “watermelon smiles”
watermelon cut into human smiling face
In one of his writings, Boris Johnson took aim at the then UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair. He wrote about Tony Blair’s trip to the Congo in 2002. His vituperative remarks sparked outrage for calling local residents “piccaninnies.” This is a racial or ethnic slur used to describe a black child. Boris wrote that “No doubt the AK47s will fall silent, and the pangas will stop their hacking of human flesh, and the tribal warriors will all break out in watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down.” Watermelon has been associated with racism in the United States, particularly against black people.
#3: Boris wrote a poem insulting Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Boris Johnson and Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Boris Johnson entered a competition aimed at writing a defaming poem about the Trukish leader Erdogan. Johnson, who is of Turkish descent, had said that his decision to enter the competition came in response to the controversy around a German court’s decision to ban a satirist from repeating an obscene poem mocking the Turkish president.
According to him, “if somebody wants to make a joke about the love that flowers between the Turkish president and a goat, he should be able to do so, in any European country, including Turkey.”
A limerick from Johnson’s poem published by The Spectator went as:
“There was a young fellow from Ankara
Who was a terrific wankerer
Till he sowed his wild oats
With the help of a goat
But he didn’t eve stop to thankera.”
#2: Boris claimed Donald Trump was “clearly out of his mind”
Boris Johnson and Donald Trump
When the Republican likely nominee Donald Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” Boris Johnson who was by then the UK’s new foreign secretary descended on him.
To Boris, Trump was “clearly out of his mind” and that his “ill-informed comments are complete and utter nonsense.”
Boris accused Trump of “stupefying ignorence” for claiming immigration had created “no-go” areas in London.
He added that “The only reason I wouldn’t visit some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.”
#1: Boris Johnson compared the Russian President, Vladimir Putin to the Harry Porter character, Dolby – the house elf
President Donald Trump
In December 2015, Boris Johnson fired another shot, this time the aim was the Kremlin. Johnson compared the Russian leader Vladimir Putin to “Dolby the House Elf”, a funny character in the Harry Porter series.
Writing in the Telegraph column, Johnson wrote that “Despite looking a bit like Dolby the House Elf, he is ruthless and manipulative tyrant.”
Johnson has a very weird way of throwing his support behind people. His stock-in-trade is to first lambast you then vaguely offer his shaky support. Johnson argued in the column that the West should do a deal with Putin over the Syrian civil war.
Which of facts did you find amazing? Did we miss any point worth mentioning? Don't be shy, nail it down in the comment section below.