Meet Boris Johnson, Cameron’s likely successor

Conservative politician and former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson is being tipped as a likely successor to British Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Cameron has announced that he would be resigning as the British Prime Minister after the UK voted to leave Europe.

Described as an eccentric character, the former journalist is never one to shy away from the camera or shoot from the lip. He had gone from being a figure of fun to a serious contender to replace David Cameron as leader of the UK.

For Johnson it would be the realization of a long-held ambition and a complete transformation for a man who once declared that his chances of becoming Prime Minister were “about as good as the chances of finding Elvis on Mars, or my being reincarnated as an olive.”

Johnson has been variously labeled a reckless loose cannon by his critics while biographers likened his appearance, tousled blond mop and all, to a “human laundry basket” or a “haystack on a bicycle.”

The conservative politician is also known for making gaffes in public and was forced to apologize for racist comments after referring to black people as “piccaninnies” in 2008.

Johnson looks set to play a decisive role in the future of British politics after the Leave campaign triumphed with 51.9% of the vote to win by 1,269.501 votes, with turnout at 72%.

Though he is yet to make a comment about the possibility of becoming prime minister, bookies have made Johnson a favorite for the job.

Read also: British PM Cameron resigns over Brexit

Johnson was mayor of London from 2008 until May this year when he re-entered Westminster as a member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

His biographer, Andrew Gimson, described the 52 year old as a “maverick, a man who can’t see an apple cart without wanting to overturn it.

Johnson outshone Cameron for years, first at Eton, then Oxford, and then as The Daily Telegraph’s Brussels correspondent.

According to Gimson, “Boris is not really a team player. He’s a leader, and either his party and the country will accept him as leader, or he’ll be in the wilderness.”

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