Boris Johnson - The African Mirror

Feb

2023

BBC chair made ‘errors of judgement’ over Boris Johnson loan, lawmakers say

BBC Chair Richard Sharp made "significant errors of judgement" in failing to declare his involvement in facilitating a loan for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson shortly before he was appointed to the role, a committee of lawmakers said. Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker, has said he introduced Sam Blyth, an old friend who wanted to help Johnson, to a government official in late 2020, but his involvement went no further. Blyth, who is a distant cousin of Johnson, went on to lend the former prime minister up to 800,000 pounds ($964,640), a media report has said. Sharp has said and…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Britain’s Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with missile strike

WORLD

FORMER British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike during a phone call in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine, a charge denied by Moscow. Johnson, speaking to the BBC for a documentary, said the Russian leader had asked him about the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO, to which he had responded it would not be "for the foreseeable future". "He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that.…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Diwali delight for Indians as Rishi Sunak set to become UK PM

WORLD

KRISHNA N. DAS MANY Indians are delighted at the prospect of Rishi Sunak becoming the first person of Indian origin to become British prime minister, just as Hindus like him celebrated Diwali across the world on Monday. Sunak was set to take the top job after his rivals Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the race to replace Liz Truss as leader of the Conservative Party. Truss quit after a month and a half as her support evaporated and Sunak was poised to formally take over as prime minister later on Monday or Tuesday. Sunak's expected rise to the premiership had already…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Boris Johnson pulls out of UK Conservative leadership race

WORLD

FORMER prime minister Boris Johnson pulled out of the contest to become Britain's next leader, saying he had the support of enough lawmakers to progress to the next stage but was well behind front-runner former finance minister Rishi Sunak. "There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday," Johnson said in a statement. "But in the course of the last days, I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Boris Johnson returns to UK in bid for rapid political comeback

WORLD

ANDREW MACASKILL and MUVIJA M BORIS Johnson returned to Britain as he considers an audacious attempt to win a second term as prime minister only weeks after he was forced to step down, with some colleagues warning his comeback could create more political chaos. Potential candidates to replace Prime Minister Liz Truss, who quit on Thursday after six weeks in office, were embarking on a frantic weekend of lobbying to secure enough nominations to enter the leadership contest before Monday's deadline. Johnson, who was on holiday in the Caribbean when Truss resigned, has not commented publicly about a bid for his old…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Race to be next UK PM begins as momentum grows behind Boris Johnson

WORLD

ELIZABETH PIPER, KYLIE MACLELLAN and ANDREW MACASKILL FOUR senior ministers threw their weight behind Boris Johnson to return as British prime minister after Liz Truss's resignation triggered a contest to quickly replace her as Conservative Party leader. Former defence minister Penny Mordaunt became the first candidate to officially declare, but Johnson and Rishi Sunak, once his finance minister, led potential contenders as candidates canvassed support ahead of voting next week. With the Conservatives holding a large majority in parliament and able to ignore calls for a general election for another two years, the new party leader will become prime minister…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

The most coveted endorsement in race to be next British prime minister? Margaret Thatcher

WORLD

ANDREW MACASKILL MARGARET Thatcher has not been in power since 1990. In fact, she's been dead since 2013. But the former Conservative prime minister has been a regular presence in this week's contest to replace Boris Johnson as Britain's next leader. Thatcher, the most polarising prime minister in modern British history, was reviled and revered in equal measure as she crushed the unions and privatised large swathes of industry. Tough and outspoken, she led the Conservatives to three election victories, governing from 1979 to 1990, the longest continuous period in office by a British premier in over 150 years. The…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Ex-finance minister Sunak launches bids to be UK PM as rival backs him

WORLD

ELIZABETH PIPER and KYLIE MACLELLAN EX-FINANCE minister Rishi Sunak, the favourite to become Britain's next prime minister, kicked off his campaign promising "honesty", in an increasingly testy and divisive battle to succeed Boris Johnson. An initial 11 candidates put their names forward to become the leader of the governing Conservative Party and Britain's next premier after Johnson was forced to say he would step down when support drained from him over a series of scandals. Only those who get nominations from 20 of their 358 Conservative colleagues in parliament on Tuesday will go forward to the first vote on Wednesday.…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Foreign Secretary Truss enters race to become next British prime minister

WORLD

THE 11 candidates seeking to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister will learn the planned timetable to select the new British leader, as the contest becomes increasingly unpredictable, bitter and divisive. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss became the latest high-profile name to put herself forward, echoing the promises of her rivals to cut taxes and saying she would maintain a tough line against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Johnson was forced out last Thursday after his government imploded over a series of scandals. The contest is for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party, with the winner then becoming prime minister.…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Candidates jostle to replace UK PM Johnson in packed race

WORLD

ALISTAIR SMOUT THE contest to replace British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gathered pace as five more candidates declared their intention to run, with many pledging lower taxes and a clean start from Johnson's scandal-ridden premiership. Johnson on Thursday said he would resign as prime minister, after lawmakers and cabinet colleagues rebelled over his handling of a series of scandals, including breaches of lockdown rules in gatherings at his Downing Street office. He said he would stay on until a new leader was elected. A member of a Conservative party committee which sets the rules for leadership elections said on Sunday…