London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 07, 2026

Boris Johnson Fast Facts

Boris Johnson Fast Facts

Fast Facts on Boris Johnson to learn more about the prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Personal


Birth date: June 19, 1964

Birth place: New York, New York

Birth name: Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson

Father: Stanley Johnson, environmentalist, writer, former politician

Mother: Charlotte Johnson Wahl, painter

Marriages: Marina Wheeler (1993-present, separated); Allegra Mostyn-Owen (1987-1993, divorced)

Children: with Marina Wheeler: Lara, Milo, Cassia and Theodore; with Helen Macintyre: Stephanie; with Carrie Symonds: Wilfred

Education: Balliol College, University of Oxford, B.A., 1987

Other Facts


Johnson is engaged to Carrie Symonds, a former communications official for the Conservative Party.

Brother Jo Johnson is also a Conservative politician.

Johnson was the fourth prime minister to study at Balliol College. The other three were H.H. Asquith, Edward Heath, and Harold Macmillan.

Johnson has written books on politics, history and British 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 for the weekly magazine The Spectator.

2001 - Johnson is elected a member of the House of Commons in Parliament, winning the seat in Henley for the Conservative Party.

2003-2004 - Vice chairman of the Conservative Party.

2004 - Serves as shadow minister for the arts. Fired over allegations of an affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt.

December 2005-July 2007 - Serves as the shadow minister for higher education.

May 2008 - Johnson is elected mayor of London. He is reelected in 2012.

August 2012 - Johnson gets stuck on a zip line during a Summer Olympics event in London's Victoria Park.

May 2015 - Reelected to Parliament, representing a seat for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

July 13, 2016 - Johnson is appointed foreign secretary by Prime Minister Theresa May, and serves for two years.

February 21, 2016 - Johnson announces he supports the Brexit campaign.

July 9, 2018 - Johnson resigns as foreign secretary due to his disagreement with May's approach to Brexit.

September 2018 - Johnson and Marina Wheeler announce their separation and pending divorce.

July 23, 2019 - Boris Johnson is elected leader of the United Kingdom's Conservative party, and will take over for May as prime minister, pending approval of the Queen.

August 28, 2019 - Queen Elizabeth approves Johnson's request to suspend UK parliament from mid-September, shortening the time available to lawmakers to block a no-deal Brexit. The news is met with opposition from politicians who denounce it as potentially unconstitutional and undemocratic. In a televised interview, Johnson denies that he was seeking to prevent Parliament from limiting his Brexit plans.

September 4, 2019 - Johnson suffers a defeat after lawmakers in the House of Commons approve a bill to block a no-deal Brexit., 327 votes to 299. It instructs Johnson to request another Brexit extension if he cannot secure a deal with the European Union by the October 31 deadline. Hours after, the House of Commons dismiss demands for an election, falling short of the required 434 supermajority to pass.

September 5, 2019 - During a speech in Wakefield, in northern England, Johnson says he'd rather be "dead in the ditch" than ask Europe to delay Brexit. The same day Johnson's brother, Jo Johnson, announces he will step down as MP because he is "torn between family loyalty and the national interest."

September 25, 2019 - Lawmakers return to work after the UK Supreme Court rules Johnson's decision to unilaterally suspend Parliament until mid-October -- just two weeks before the UK is due to leave the European Union -- was "unlawful, void and of no effect," 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 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 Labour's 203 seats. 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 United Kingdom must negotiate its future relationship with Europe.

February 29, 2020 - Johnson and Symonds announce they are expecting a baby and are engaged to be married.

March 27, 2020 - Johnson announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus.

April 5, 2020 - Johnson is admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London for tests as part of a "precautionary step" due to Johnson's lingering coronavirus symptoms, the Prime Minister's Office says in a statement.

April 6, 2020 - Johnson is moved to an intensive care unit after his condition with coronavirus symptoms "worsened," according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

April 12, 2020 - A Downing Street spokesman announces Johnson has been discharged from the hospital.

April 29, 2020 - Johnson and Symonds announce the birth of a baby 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 suffered from coronavirus.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
HMRC’s 2029 Tax Shift Could Overlap Old and New Self-Assessment Bills
Thetford Disorder Prompts Expanded Police Powers Amid Asylum-Housing Protests
Cambridge Faces Calls for Independent Review of Jason Arday Appointment
Scotland’s ‘Cock of the North’ Woodland Is Being Felled After Wind Damage
Reform UK and Greens Unite Against Vast Solar Plans for Kent Marshland
New Zealand Draws Wealthy Americans With Revamped Investor Visa
Senate Panel Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt After Fifth Amendment Testimony
Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Resigns as University Opens Inquiry Into His Credentials
Manchester Power Failure Disrupts Trains Across North West Into Friday
UK Fashion and Tourism Sectors Prepare for Strong Summer and Autumn Activity
London Residents Seek Appeal Against Approval for Chinese Super-Embassy Development
UK Environment Officials Issue Biosecurity Alert Over Rising Bluetongue Cases in Livestock
UK Charity Regulator Opens Investigations Into Donations Linked to Israeli Settlements
Gatwick Expansion and Chinese Embassy Plans Highlight Growing UK Infrastructure Disputes
UK Agriculture Authorities Warn of Rising Bluetongue Virus Cases Among Sheep Farms
UK Watchdog Finds Electronic Monitoring Failures Leaving Some Offenders Without Timely Alerts
Metropolitan Police Investigate Covent Garden Knife Attack That Injured Four Men
UK Government Confirms Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Programme Expands
Diageo Plans Guinness Expansion While Cutting Jobs Through Global Restructuring Programme
Bank of England Keeps UK Borrowing Costs Stable While Markets Await Future Rate Cuts
Gatwick Airport Wins Approval for Second Runway Expansion After Legal Challenges Fail
Apple Challenges UK Government Over Demand for Access to Encrypted iCloud Data
London Approves First Autonomous Taxi Licences for Wayve and Uber Passenger Trials
UK Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Finds Advanced AI Models Showing Deceptive Behaviour in Security Tests
UK Small Boat Channel Crossings Fall Forty-Three Percent as Government Highlights France Cooperation
UK Government Plans Procurement Reforms to Boost British Jobs and Domestic Steel Supply Chains
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Percent as Inflation Stays Above Target
EY Raises UK 2026 Growth Forecast to Zero Point Nine Percent as Energy Risks Remain a Concern
UK Artificial Intelligence Regulation and Public Infrastructure Investment Remain Key Policy Focus Areas
Kemi Badenoch Faces Criticism Over Appointment of Former Neo-Nazi Linked Figure to Advisory Role
AG Barr Reports £10 Million Sales Loss After Supply Chain and Planning Failures
UK Government Fast-Tracks Specialist Care Pathways for Motor Neurone Disease Patients
UK Government Connects More Than 60,000 Rural Homes and Businesses to Gigabit Broadband
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Forecast After Strong Summer Sales
Metropolitan Police Arrest Woman After Four Men Stabbed in Central London’s Covent Garden Area
UK Procurement Reform and Infrastructure Spending Signal New Focus on Regional Economic Growth
UK Government Expands Global Talent Visa Access for International Researchers and Innovators
NHS Launches £343 Million Expansion of Community Mental Health Centres Across England
UK Treasury Explores Higher Borrowing Capacity for Infrastructure and Housing Investment
UK Cabinet Office Reforms Procurement Rules to Direct £90 Billion of Public Spending Toward Jobs and Skills
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s Activities and Possible Institutional Failures
×