Who is britains current prime minister

It was as foreign secretary that Johnson made one of his worst mistakes. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe , a British-Iranian mother, had been jailed in Iran on charges of trying to topple the government by way of training journalists to spread propaganda on behalf of British intelligence.

She is a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charity arm of the famous news agency, but was visiting Iran on holiday, seeing family for the Persian New Year.

Johnson decided to step in, and with characteristic bullishness made the whole situation worse. Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains in jail. With the announcement of his leadership win on Tuesday, Theresa May will formally step down, handing her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday.

Johnson — if there is no sudden slew of MPs defecting from the party — will then be invited by Buckingham Palace to form a government. The House of Commons breaks up for summer holidays on Friday, leaving Johnson with one crucial day of parliamentary business before the recess.

It is possible he may face a vote of no-confidence on his first full day on the job. With the Tories having only a razor-thin working majority in parliament, he is skating on thin ice. He is the eldest son of Stanley Johnson, a British politician who was a Conservative member of the European Parliament from to Johnson also has Turkish roots: his great-grandfather Ali Kemal was an Ottoman journalist and politician who served for three months as interior minister in the government of Damat Ferit Pasha.

Johnson started his journalistic career in late as a trainee at The Times of London, but he was sacked for falsifying a quotation. Over the years, he has written many controversial newspaper columns. In , he was accused of racism for using the racial slur "piccaninnies" to refer to black people. He apologized six years later during his run for mayor of London. In August , just after quitting the foreign secretary post, he was widely criticized for writing an Islamophobic column comparing Muslim women wearing headscarves to letterboxes and bank robbers.

Boris Johnson became Prime Minister on 24 July He was previously Foreign Secretary from 13 July to 9 July More about this person.

Find out more about previous holders of this role in our past Prime Ministers section. To help us improve GOV. August 28, - 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, - Johnson suffers a defeat after lawmakers in the House of Commons approve a bill to block a no-deal Brexit. 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, t he House of Commons dismiss demands for an election , falling short of the required supermajority to pass. September 5, - 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, - 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, - 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, - 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, - Johnson's conservative party wins in a landslide election, securing of the seats in the House of Parliament, well ahead of Labour's 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, - Britain formally leaves the European Union , entering a transition period until the end of during which the United Kingdom must negotiate its future relationship with Europe. February 29, - Johnson and Carrie Symonds, a former communications official for the Conservative Party, announce they are expecting a baby and are engaged to be married.

March 27, - Johnson announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus. April 5, - 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, - Johnson is moved to an intensive care unit after his condition with coronavirus symptoms "worsened," according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

April 12, - A Downing Street spokesman announces Johnson has been discharged from the hospital. April 29, - Johnson and Symonds announce the birth of a baby boy. He was given the middle name Nicholas in honor of two doctors who treated Johnson while he suffered from coronavirus.