Background & Political Career
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was born in New York in 1964. He studied Classics at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a member of the Bullingdon Club. He worked as a journalist and Brussels correspondent for the Daily Telegraph from 1989, where his EU-sceptic reporting helped shape a generation of Eurosceptic Conservative opinion.
He served as MP for Henley from 2001, as Shadow Arts spokesperson, and was Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016, a role in which he was elected twice, including during a Labour wave in London. He played a prominent role in the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign, co-leading the Vote Leave organisation alongside Michael Gove.
Under Theresa May he served as Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018, resigning over her Chequers Brexit plan. He won the Conservative leadership contest in July 2019 and called a general election for December 2019, at which the Conservatives won 365 seats and an 80-seat majority on the slogan Get Brexit Done.
His premiership covered the Covid-19 pandemic (March 2020 onwards), the vaccine rollout (December 2020), Brexit trade deal (December 2020), the Partygate scandal (November 2021–July 2022), and ended with his resignation in July 2022 following Cabinet mass resignations over the Chris Pincher affair. He left the House of Commons in 2023 rather than face a lengthy suspension recommended by the Privileges Committee for misleading Parliament over Partygate.
Approval Rating: Jul 2019–Legacy 2026
▼ Partygate collapse: +60 to -40Net approval = approve % minus disapprove %. Source: YouGov monthly tracker, GB adults. Partygate story broke November 2021.
Key Controversies
Partygate: Covid Rule-Breaking in Downing Street
In November 2021, reports emerged that Downing Street staff had held a Christmas party in December 2020, when London was under Tier 3 restrictions prohibiting such gatherings. Further revelations followed throughout 2022, revealing a pattern of social events — wine and cheese gatherings, farewell parties, a gathering on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral — that had taken place while the public were barred from seeing dying relatives.
Johnson told Parliament in December 2021 that no rules had been broken. The Metropolitan Police subsequently investigated and issued 126 Fixed Penalty Notices, including one to Johnson himself. The Cabinet Secretary’s internal report (the Gray Report) documented multiple events. YouGov tracking showed Johnson’s net approval collapsed from approximately +5 in October 2021 to -40 by February 2022.
The House of Commons Privileges Committee found in June 2023 that Johnson had misled Parliament over the parties and recommended a 90-day suspension. Johnson resigned his seat before the report was published, accusing the committee of conducting a “kangaroo court”.
Chris Pincher Affair
In June 2022, Johnson appointed Chris Pincher as Deputy Chief Whip despite reportedly being briefed about sexual misconduct allegations against him. Pincher subsequently resigned after further misconduct allegations emerged. Johnson initially denied being aware of specific allegations, then admitted he had been briefed. The shifting account triggered the Cabinet resignations that ended his premiership.
Covid Contracts Scrutiny
The pandemic-era awarding of PPE and testing contracts attracted significant scrutiny. The National Audit Office and public accounts investigations found that contracts worth billions were awarded without competitive tender and that some went to companies with political connections. Johnson denied overseeing a corrupt system but the issue contributed to the erosion of trust in his administration throughout 2021.
Policy Record as Prime Minister
Negotiated and signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on 24 December 2020, delivering the formal Brexit he had promised in the 2019 election. Critics noted it created new barriers for goods and services trade.
The UK became the first country in the world to administer an approved Covid vaccine (December 2020) and by March 2021 had vaccinated more adults per capita than any comparable nation. Approval briefly reached +60 net.
Positioned the UK as the first Western country to supply anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in January 2022 and maintained high-level engagement with President Zelensky. Praised internationally for this stance even amid domestic scandal.
The flagship domestic policy of levelling up regional economic inequality produced a White Paper and some infrastructure spending but fell well short of its stated ambitions, contributing to disillusionment among Red Wall voters.
Legacy Polling & Historical Data
Johnson’s approval trajectory is one of the most dramatic in modern UK political polling. He entered office with broadly positive ratings as the Conservatives won their largest majority in over 30 years. The vaccine rollout pushed his net approval to +60 in early 2021, making him the most popular UK politician in YouGov tracking at that point.
The Partygate revelations from November 2021 produced a collapse that was both rapid and irreversible. By February 2022 his net approval had fallen 100 points from its peak. He never recovered. Legacy polling in 2026 shows him at -45, with only around 20% approving, primarily among voters who credit him for Brexit and Ukraine and either do not know about or have forgiven the Partygate conduct.
| Date | Approve % | Disapprove % | Net | Key event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2019 | 42% | 38% | +4 | Entered as PM |
| Dec 2019 | 50% | 32% | +18 | Election landslide |
| Mar 2020 | 48% | 31% | +17 | Covid rally round PM |
| Jan 2021 | 62% | 22% | +40 | Vaccine rollout peak |
| Apr 2021 | 65% | 25% | +40 | Vaccine programme high |
| Oct 2021 | 43% | 38% | +5 | Pre-Partygate |
| Dec 2021 | 32% | 52% | −20 | Partygate breaks |
| Feb 2022 | 24% | 64% | −40 | Partygate low |
| Jul 2022 | 22% | 64% | −42 | Resigned as PM |
| Jun 2023 | 19% | 67% | −48 | Left Parliament |
| May 2026 | 20% | 65% | −45 | Legacy rating |
Source: YouGov tracker, GB adults.