Boris Johnson Bio
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, widely known as Boris Johnson, is a British politician, author, and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously held the posts of Foreign Secretary, Mayor of London, and Member of Parliament for Henley and later for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. He played a leading role in the 2016 Brexit campaign and led the Conservative Party to a large parliamentary majority in the December 2019 general election. His tenure as Prime Minister was defined by the United Kingdom’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its support for Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion, and a series of political controversies that ultimately led to his resignation.
Early Life and Background
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was born on 19 June 1964 in New York City, United States, while his father was studying economics at Columbia University. He is the eldest of four children of Stanley Johnson, a former Conservative Member of the European Parliament, and Charlotte Fawcett, a painter who later became known as Charlotte Johnson Wahl. His maternal grandfather, Sir James Fawcett, was a prominent barrister who served as president of the European Commission of Human Rights. The family moved between the United States and the United Kingdom during his early years, with periods spent in Washington, D.C., Connecticut, Brussels, and London.
Johnson was educated at Ashdown House, a preparatory boarding school in East Sussex, before winning a place at Eton College. At Eton, he developed interests in classical studies and continued to distinguish himself academically. He later attended Balliol College at the University of Oxford, where he read Classics and in 1986 was elected president of the Oxford Union, a position that marked the beginning of his public profile.
Path to Politics
After leaving Oxford, Boris Johnson pursued a career in journalism, beginning his work at The Daily Telegraph in 1989. He served as editor of The Spectator magazine from 1999 to 2005, while also writing frequently for newspapers and appearing on television. His blend of humour, classical references, and provocative commentary made him a recognisable public figure across the United Kingdom.
Johnson entered Parliament in 2001 when he was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Henley. He joined the Shadow Cabinet of Michael Howard before being dismissed over a personal dispute. After David Cameron became Conservative leader, Johnson returned to a prominent front-bench role and in 2008 was elected Mayor of London, defeating the incumbent Ken Livingstone. He was re-elected as Mayor in 2012 and served until 2016, after which he returned to Parliament as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Boris Johnson Career
Early Career (2001–2008)
Boris Johnson’s political career began in earnest with his election to the House of Commons in 2001 as MP for Henley. Within months he was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet by the then Conservative leader Michael Howard, signalling his rapid rise within the party. His time in this role was brief; he was dismissed after a public disagreement over an alleged personal matter, an episode that generated widespread media coverage.
During these years Johnson also continued his work as a journalist and commentator, writing a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph. His media profile grew considerably, and he used the platform to address political, cultural, and European affairs in his characteristically colourful style. The combination of journalism and politics helped him build a national following that proved decisive in his next venture.
Breakthrough (2008–2016)
In 2008 Boris Johnson achieved a major breakthrough by winning the London mayoral election and defeating Ken Livingstone, who had held the office since its creation in 2000. As Mayor of London, he presided over major projects including the successful hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics, the introduction of the public bicycle hire scheme known as Boris Bikes, and the commissioning of the New Routemaster bus. He was re-elected mayor in 2012, securing a second four-year term.
Johnson’s first term also featured controversies, including disputes over expenses, an unauthorised garden shed, and questions about his personal conduct. Nonetheless, his celebrity appeal and visibility kept him popular among London voters. He chose not to run for a third term in 2016, returning instead to Parliament as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in the 2015 general election.
He resigned from his position as Foreign Secretary in July 2018 in protest at Theresa May’s approach to Brexit. Following her resignation in 2019, Johnson successfully contested the Conservative leadership election and became Prime Minister in July 2019.
Conservative Era (2019–2022)
Upon becoming Prime Minister, Boris Johnson re-opened negotiations with the European Union over the United Kingdom’s withdrawal. His decision to prorogue Parliament in September 2019 was later ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court. After failing to secure parliamentary support for his revised withdrawal agreement, he called a snap general election for December 2019, in which the Conservatives won a substantial majority under the slogan of getting Brexit done.
During his premiership, the UK government introduced emergency measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and rolled out one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world. Johnson also led the United Kingdom’s response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, imposing sanctions on Russian banks and oligarchs and providing military and humanitarian aid to Kyiv. However, his leadership was overshadowed by the Partygate scandal, in which gatherings at Downing Street breached COVID-19 lockdown rules. Revelations over his appointment of Chris Pincher led to a wave of ministerial resignations in July 2022, after which Johnson announced his resignation as Prime Minister. He remained a backbench MP until June 2023, when he resigned after a Commons Privileges Committee investigation concluded he had misled Parliament.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Boris Johnson’s career were his election as Mayor of London in 2008, his role as a leading figure in the 2016 Brexit referendum, his December 2019 general election landslide, and his position as the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic and the early phase of the war in Ukraine. His departure from Downing Street in 2022 marked one of the most turbulent ends to a premiership in modern British political history.
Boris Johnson Career Wins
Boris Johnson has recorded several notable political victories across his career, including two successful London mayoral elections and a decisive general election win that gave the Conservatives an eighty-seat majority in the House of Commons.
Election Highlights
Johnson first won elected office in 2001 as MP for Henley. His most significant electoral achievement came in December 2019, when he led the Conservative Party to a landslide general election victory on the promise of completing Brexit. He also secured two terms as Mayor of London, in 2008 and 2012.
Other Achievements
Beyond electoral victories, Johnson’s achievements include overseeing the United Kingdom’s response to the COVID-19 vaccination rollout and shaping the country’s early response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is also a published author whose books and journalism have reached a wide audience.
Boris Johnson Family
Family Background and Lineage
Boris Johnson is the eldest of four children of Stanley Johnson and Charlotte Johnson Wahl. His siblings are Rachel Johnson, a journalist and author, Leo Johnson, a broadcaster, and Jo Johnson, a former Conservative minister and MP. His maternal grandfather Sir James Fawcett served as president of the European Commission of Human Rights, and his paternal ancestry includes English, German, French, and Turkish roots. He has also described himself as a one-man melting pot, reflecting the broad range of his family heritage.
Personal Life
Boris Johnson has been married three times. He was first married to Allegra Mostyn-Owen from 1987 to 1993, then to Marina Wheeler from 1993 to 2020, with whom he had four children, and most recently to Carrie Symonds in 2021. He has nine children in total from his marriages and other relationships. The family resides in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Oxfordshire.