18:49Boris Johnson has revealed he is dieting and has lost 12 pounds in two weeks after deciding he needed to give up drink and “delicious late-night binges of chorizo and cheese” – just as he could be about to embark on a bid to become prime minister. Writing in the Spectator, the former foreign secretary said he had realised he was “carting around 16-and-a-half stone” after visiting a French doctor and concluded he needed to try to slim down as the UK was leaving the European Union. Modestly comparing his weight to the state of the body politic, Johnson said he hoped to be 15 stone by Christmas, for the first time since he left university, “to toast the moment” when MPs force May to ditch the Northern Ireland backstop. His decision to have a haircut at the end of last week prompted speculation that he was readying himself for a run at the leadership, by tidying his normally unruly blond mop in an effort to make himself look more presentable to Tory MPs. Tom Watson, reacting to Boris diet revelation, said: “I applaud Boris Johnson’s diet, I know what it’s like being a middle aged man trying to get fit, but the truth is he won’t lose weight if he keeps trying to have his cake and eat it.”

Source: The Guardian December 11, 2018 09:08 UTC