Boris Johnson

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964 in New York City), better known as Boris Johnson, is a British Conservative politician and journalist. He is Member of Parliament for Henley, edits The Spectator and writes a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Journalism

After leaving university he lasted a week as a management consultant ("Try as I might, I could not look at an overhead projection of a growth profit matrix, and stay conscious"), before becoming a trainee reporter for The Times, but within a year he had been sacked for falsifying a quotation from his godfather, Colin Lucas, later Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. Following a short period as a writer for the Wolverhampton Express and Star, he joined The Daily Telegraph in 1987 as leader and feature writer, and from 1989 to 1994 was the paper's European Community correspondent. He served as assistant editor from 1994-1999. His association with The Spectator began with a stint as political columnist from 1994 to 1995. In 1999 he became editor of The Spectator but continues to write a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph.

Related Topics:
The Times - Colin Lucas - European Community

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Johnson has appeared as a panellist on the British television programme Have I Got News For You three times, and twice as guest presenter, and has also appeared on the similar Radio 4 programme The News Quiz. He has written an autobiographical account of his experience of the 2001 election campaign entitled Friends, Voters, Countrymen: Jottings on the Stump. He is also the author of two collections of journalism, Johnson's Column and Lend Me Your Ears. His first novel Seventy-Two Virgins was published in 2004, and he is currently working on a book about what it means to be British, due for publication in 2005. He was nominated in 2004 for a BAFTA television award, and has attracted several unofficial fan clubs and sites.

Related Topics:
Have I Got News For You - Presenter - Radio 4 - The News Quiz - 2004 - BAFTA

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His official Boris Johnson web site and blog started up in September 2004.

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