Born on June 19, 1964, in New York, United States, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is considered one of the most controversial British political figures of recent years.
Known only as Boris Johnson, the politician resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Thursday (7), after a series of scandals and the collective resignation of more than 50 members of the government.
Learn more about Johnson’s life and career:
Johnson is the son of environmentalist, writer and former politician Stanley Johnson and painter Charlotte Johnson Wahl. Baptized a Catholic, Johnson was confirmed as an Anglican in his teens.
Married to Carrie Symonds, the politician had two previous marriages to Marina Wheeler (1993-2020) and Allegra Mostyn-Owen (1987-1993). Father of seven children, Romy and Wilfred with Carrie Johnson; Lara, Milo, Cássia and Theodore, with Marina Wheeler and Stephanie with Helen Macintyre.
He studied at Balliol College, University of Oxford, with a Bachelor of Arts in 1987. Johnson was the fourth prime minister to study at Balliol College. The other three were HH Asquith, Edward Heath and Harold Macmillan.
Johnson has written books on British politics, history and culture, such as “The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History” and “The Dream of Rome”.
Timeline
1973 – The Johnson family moves to Belgium.
1987 – Becomes a trainee reporter for The Times.
1988 – Fired from The Times for making up a quote.
1989 – Appointed Brussels correspondent for the Daily Telegraph.
1999-2005 – Editor of the weekly magazine The Spectator.
2001 – Johnson is elected a member of the House of Commons in Parliament, winning the Henley seat for the Conservative Party.
2003-2004 – Vice President of the Conservative Party.
2004 – Serves as shadow minister for the arts. Fired over allegations of an affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt.
December 2005 to July 2007 – Serves as shadow minister for higher education.
May 2008 – Johnson is elected mayor of London. He is re-elected in 2012.
August 2012 Johnson gets stuck on a zip line during a Summer Olympics event at Victoria Park in London.
May 2015 – Re-elected to Parliament, representing a seat for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
July 13, 2016 – Johnson is appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs by Prime Minister Theresa May and serves for two years.
February 21, 2016 – Johnson announces that he supports the Brexit campaign.
July 9, 2018 – Johnson resigns as foreign secretary over his disagreement with May’s approach to Brexit.
September 2018 – Johnson and Marina Wheeler announce their separation and pending divorce.
July 23, 2019 Johnson is elected leader of the UK Conservative Party to take over from May as Prime Minister, pending the Queen’s approval.
August 28, 2019 – Queen Elizabeth approves Johnson’s request to suspend the UK Parliament from mid-September, reducing the time available for lawmakers to block a no-deal Brexit. The news is opposed by politicians who denounce it as potentially unconstitutional and undemocratic. In a televised interview, Johnson denies that he was trying to stop Parliament from limiting his Brexit plans.
September 4, 2019 – Johnson suffers a defeat after House of Commons lawmakers pass a bill to block a no-deal Brexit, 327 votes to 299. Instructs Johnson to request another extension of Brexit if he fails to reach a deal with the European Union by the time deadline of 31 October. Hours later, the House of Commons rejects demands for an election, falling short of the supermajority of 434 needed to pass.
September 5, 2019 – During a speech in Wakefield, Northern England, Johnson says he would rather be “dead in the ditch” than ask Europe to delay Brexit. On the same day, Johnson’s brother, Jo Johnson, announces that he will step down as deputy because he is “torn between family loyalty and the national interest”.
September 25, 2019 – Lawmakers get back to work after the UK Supreme Court rules Johnson’s decision to unilaterally suspend Parliament until mid-October – just two weeks before the UK’s departure from the European Union – was “illegal, null and void and without sense”, a huge defeat for the prime minister.
October 17, 2019 – Johnson announces that UK negotiators have struck a Brexit deal with their European counterparts, setting the stage for a vote on the proposal in Parliament.
October 19, 2019 – UK lawmakers withhold approval of Johnson’s Brexit deal, voting for an amendment to delay ratification. The amendment required Johnson to send a letter requesting an extension from the European Union and Downing Street later confirms that the letter was sent.
December 12, 2019 – Johnson’s Conservative party wins in a landslide election, securing 365 of the 650 seats in the House of Parliament, well ahead of the 203-seat Labor Party. The election gives Johnson a comfortable majority in the House of Commons and paves the way for Brexit to take place at the end of January.
January 31, 2020 – Britain formally leaves the European Union, entering a transition period until the end of 2020, during which the UK must negotiate its future relationship with Europe.
February 29, 2020 — Johnson and Carrie Symonds, a former communications officer for the Conservative Party, announce that they are expecting a baby and are engaged.
March 27, 2020 Johnson announces that he has tested positive for Covid-19.
April 5, 2020 – Johnson is admitted to St. Thomas in London for testing as part of a “precautionary step” due to Johnson’s persistent coronavirus symptoms, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
April 6, 2020 – Johnson is transferred to an intensive care unit after his condition with coronavirus symptoms “worsened”, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
April 12, 2020 – A Downing Street spokesperson announces that Johnson has been released from the hospital.
April 29, 2020 – Johnson and Symonds announce the birth of a boy.
May 2, 2020 – Johnson and Symonds announce the name of their newborn son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson. He was given the middle name Nicholas in honor of two doctors who treated Johnson while he was suffering from Covid-19.
May 6, 2021 – In the British elections, Johnson’s Conservative Party retains mayors in key battlegrounds and increases its membership in local councils.
May 29, 2021 Johnson and Symonds were married in a “small ceremony” held in secret at Westminster Cathedral in London.
December 9, 2021 – Johnson and Symonds announce the birth of a girl.
January 31, 2021 – A long-awaited government report on “Partygate” is released, describing an investigation by Johnson that uncovered multiple parties, some of which Johnson personally attended, a culture of binge drinking and a “leadership failure” in his government while the rest of the country lived under strict Covid-19 lockdown rules.
June 6, 2022 – Johnson survives a vote of no confidence from his own party. Conservative lawmakers vote in a secret election by 211 to 148 to allow him to remain as party leader – and, by extension, as prime minister.
June 7, 2022 – Johnson announces his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, after a series of scandals and the collective resignation of more than 50 members of the government.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
