This paved the way for Cameron’s longtime political rival, Boris Johnson, to succeed

him as Prime Minister later this year. So, who is Boris Johnson? And how likely is it

that he’ll be the UK’s next PM?

Well, Boris Johnson, also known as “Bojo”, is a right-leaning Member of Parliament and

was Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016. Johnson is technically a member of the UK’s Conservative

Party, but is often described as a libertarian due to his push for small government and criticism

of the EU, coupled with his support for socially liberal causes, like legalizing marijuana.

As mayor, Johnson became well-known in UK politics, largely for supporting international

trade missions and campaigning for the 2012 games held in London. He simultaneously earned

pop-culture stardom for his financial scandals, romantic entanglements and public antics.

For instance during the 2012 games, Johnson famously got stuck while ziplining over London,

and was left waving a union jack in each hand.

This type of outlandish behavior has earned Johnson the nickname “the Donald Trump of

the UK”. And indeed, the two populist conservatives share a number of similarities. Both were

born in New York City and later went to prestigious universities, and both sport unmistakable

hairstyles. Like Trump, Johnson is often praised for his tell-it-like-it-is humor, while also

criticized for his racist, chauvinistic and often inaccurate rhetoric. Most infamously,

Johnson described former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, as a “mixture of Harry Houdini

and a greased piglet” and, in 2015, he was caught on video telling a London cab driver

to [quote] “eff off and die”.

It may come as a surprise that Johnson has a long-time competitive relationship with

Prime Minister, David Cameron, stemming back to their college years. At Oxford, both were

members of the infamous Bullingdon [bull-ing-don] Club, a well known upper-class fraternity.

In 2001, the two “frenemies” competed against each other for a seat in parliament,

and Cameron won. But their most ferocious competition began in early 2016, when Johnson

publicly announced he would join the Brexit effort to leave, directly opposing Cameron’s

bid to stay

Johnson’s outspoken support of Brexit is believed to be a huge factor in why voters

actually chose to leave, and despite his polarizing opinions, his term as mayor was marked by

a 54% approval rating. However, that same poll showed that only 33% of Londoners believe

he would be a good Prime Minister. And, in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, public opinion

of the historically well-liked politician has taken a hit. Johnson was recently booed

by an angry crowd while leaving his London home, Meanwhile, his own party has manifested

an “Anyone But Boris” campaign to block his chances of becoming PM. In the coming

months, Johnson stands a good chance of being appointed the interim Prime Minister by his

party, which holds a majority in Parliament. But when the inevitable General Election occurs,

there is no guarantee Johnson will bid fare well.

The future of the UK following Brexit is incredibly uncertain, but the immediate effects have

been dramatic. Learn more about what we know and what might happen in the coming years

by watching this video