However, it made him a strong favourite for prime minister when the post opened up in the chaos after the referendum — only to lose out when his main backer turned against him. His subsequent appointment as foreign minister was a surprise, given his inclination for acting the clown — blundering into a series of diplomatic rows with his seemingly off-the-cuff remarks. Peddling ‘euro-myths’One of a rare-breed of politicians known simply by his first name, “Boris” was born in New York in 1964 as Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson into a competitive, high-achieving family. Boris Johnson won a scholarship at the elite Eton school and read classics at Oxford University, where he was a member of the Bullingdon Club, an all-male dining society known for rowdy behaviour. The year before he quit as mayor, Johnson returned to the House of Commons as MP for an area west of London.

Source: The Guardian May 25, 2019 05:03 UTC