Difference between revisions of "Boris Johnson"

Revision as of 23:59, September 15, 2019

Boris Johnson
77th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Term of office July 24, 2019 - present
Political party	Conservative Party
Preceded by	Theresa May
Born	June 19, 1964 New York City
Spouse	Allegra Mostyn-Owen (div.) Marina Wheeler (div.)

Boris Johnson (born New York, June 19, 1964) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party, serving since July 2019. Previously, he served as Mayor of London from May 2008 to May 2016 and as UK Foreign Minister from July 2016 to July 2018. He is a noted supporter of Brexit. Johnson defeated incumbent London mayor Ken Livingstone in 2008 and was succeeded by Sadiq Khan‎, the first Islamic mayor of any European capital. Observers in the media have noted Johnson's effective public speaking skills.^[1]

Early life and career

Johnson was born in New York City. He no longer claims U.S. citizenship because he chose to renounce it following trouble entering the U.S. on his British passport.^[2] However, he did not clarify whether he had ever formally renounced his U.S. citizenship before a U.S. consular officer and it is uncertain whether he remains a citizen under U.S. law.

Mayor of London

Johnson's campaign for Mayor of London from the Conservative Party was in a majority Labour Party dominated region. Johnson promised during the campaign that he would roll back a recent expansion of Central London congestion charging Livingstone had introduced.^[3] He also advocated the removal of articulated, or "bendy", buses that had been introduced to London.^[4] He also called for minor changes to law and order in London in the form of a ban on drinking alcohol on public transport (the London Underground in particular)^[5] and the revocation of free travel for youths who misbehave on buses and trains.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

On July 13, 2016, Johnson was appointed as the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by Prime Minister Theresa May.^[6]

In July 2018, due to his opposition to May's Brexit plan which undermined UK sovereignty and independence, Johnson resigned as Foreign Secretary.^[7] He was replaced by Jeremy Hunt, who he later competed against and defeated in the race for leader of the Conservative Party.

Premiership

On July 23, 2019, Johnson won the Conservative Party leadership election, campaigning on a strongly pro-Brexit platform and defeating Jeremy Hunt. By winning the leadership election, he also became the UK's prime minister.^[8] His tenure as prime minister began the following day.^[9]

Johnson appointed a much more conservative candidate than his predecessor, firing over half of May's cabinet in the largest purge in British history, and with cabinet positions going to MPs open to a "no-deal" Brexit.^[10] He also appointed strongly pro-Brexit individuals to other administration positions.^[11]

Brexit

Immediately upon becoming Prime Minister, Johnson took a tough stance on Brexit, promising to fulfill the 2016 referendum result.^[12] His government stated it would not pay any "divorce bill" to the EU in the case of a "no-deal" Brexit,^[13] and Johnson stated he would push to adopt an independent trade policy and not nominate an EU commissioner.^[14]

Johnson immediately put his cabinet to work preparing for a "no-deal" Brexit,^[15] and he stated he would refuse to negotiate with the EU unless it dropped its Irish backstop demand.^[16] Very early in Johnson's tenure, his government doubled the amount of money devoted to preparing for a "no-deal" Brexit,^[17] and his treasury minister announced a one-year spending review to help the government prepare for a "no-deal" Brexit.^[18] The government announced that in the event of a "no-deal" Brexit, it would end its adherence to the EU's "freedom of movement" rules.^[19] Johnson voiced confidence and patriotism in his country.^[20] However, regarding the Brexit agreement with the EU, Johnson only called for the EU to remove the Northern Ireland backstop in order for him to accept it, angering Brexit supporters.^[21] In August 2019, the EU appeared to take a softer stance on renegotiating the Brexit agreement, but this public stance was actually a way to deflect blame in the event of a no-deal Brexit.^[22]

In August 2019, Johnson's government announced it would stop sending its officials to most EU meetings.^[23]

On August 28, 2019, Johnson announced he would ask the queen to suspend parliament as Brexit Day approached.^[24] He threatened to expel any Tory MP who voted to delay or block Brexit.^[25] Parliament voted to block a no-deal Brexit and Johnson followed through on his threat.^[26] While calling for a new election for two years, the Labor Party suddenly opposed holding a new election after Johnson announced his support for it.^[27] Johnson continued voicing support for achieving Brexit,^[28] and he refused to request a Brexit extension from the EU.^[29]

Despite pushing for Brexit, Johnson made the mistake of publicly disavowing and insulting Nigel Farage when he proposed forming an electoral coalition – and incident which illustrated that Johnson was not a political conservative.^[30]

Other issues

Upon becoming Prime Minister, Johnson advanced tough-on-crime policies, including hiring 20,000 new police officers.^[31] However, he also advocated for a liberal immigration policy, including amnesty for illegal aliens,^[32] and he abandoned a pledge to significantly reduce migration to the UK.^[33] However, Johnson promised to deport illegal migrants in the UK.^[34] In September 2019, Johnson relaxed rules for foreign students in the UK.^[35]

Political views

Johnson holds a mix of conservative and liberal views, and he has also changed positions on important issues.^[36] For example, he has been described as the "British Trump", though the several liberal positions he takes undermines such a comparison.^[37] He has made statements both supporting and opposing the EU during his career,^[38] though he strongly supported Brexit and the restoration of UK sovereignty in the 2016 referendum.

Johnson has taken open borders positions on immigration in the past.^[39] However, he generally supports lower taxes.^[40]

Johnson announced during the 2008 US presidential campaign that he favored an Obama victory.^[41] He has relatively good relations with Donald Trump,^[42] though he also criticized President Trump in the past.^[43]

Johnson is highly critical of Russian president Vladimir Putin. When in March 2018 former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury, Johnson compared Russia's hosting of the World Cup to Adolf Hitler's hosting of the Olympic Games in 1936.^[44]

Johnson takes left-wing positions on social issues, including abortion and same-sex "marriage."^[45]

References