Boris Johnson: Here's What We Know About The New UK PM

Boris Johnson, has in the past described himself as the son-in-law of India, by virtue of his now estranged wife Marina Wheeler's Indian mother.

New Conservative Party leader and incoming prime minister Boris Johnson arrives at the Conservative party headquarters in central London on July 23, 2019. - Boris Johnson won the race to become Britain's next prime minister on Tuesday, heading straight into a confrontation over Brexit with Brussels and parliament, as well as a tense diplomatic standoff with Iran. (Photo by LEON NEAL / AFP)

New Delhi: Britain’s newly elected Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is all set to succeed Theresa May at 10 Downing Street, has a background which is both charismatic and controversial. He vowed to "get Brexit done" by the October 31 deadline, amid the political uncertainty over the country's divorce deal with the European Union. Here is what we know about Johnson:

1. Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, widely known as Boris Johnson, has in the past described himself as the son-in-law of India, by virtue of his now estranged wife Marina Wheeler's Indian mother.
2. He has promised new and improved relations with India and has also played up a strong personal relationship with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi.
3. Johnson's colourful personal life has also been under some scrutiny during the month-long leadership contest, with speculation rife in the UK media on whether his girlfriend Carrie Symonds is likely to join him as partner at 10 Downing Street.
4. He emerged as a prominent figure in British Public life when he was a mayor of London from 2008 to 2016.
5. He began with a career in journalism before entering politics, and later in the year 2011 went on to be a member of parliament (MP) for the Conservative Party.
6. Among the many controversies which checker his past, one remains his expulsion from job as a trainee reporter in The Times, for lying. He was dismissed within a year for concocting a quote in an article about King Edward II and the monarch's suspected gay lover.
7. In 2004 Johnson, by now an MP, was sacked from his roles as shadow arts minister and Conservative Party vice-chairman by then-leader Michael Howard for lying about an extramarital affair.
8. Johnson's failed bid to build a so-called garden bridge over the River Thames is seen as perhaps the most egregious error of his eight years as London mayor from 2008. He oversaw attempts - costing 53.5 million pounds - to create the new central London crossing covered with trees and flowers, but faced spiralling costs and opposition from local residents. His successor Sadiq Khan scrapped the project in 2017 on the advice of an independent review.
9. Accused of Brexit 'lies': Johnson helped to promote the controversial claim that Britain would no longer have to make weekly payments of 350 million pounds (USD 436 million) to the EU. Use of the figure, which was emblazoned on the side of the Leave campaign's touring bus, has been criticised as misleading because it represented the country's gross contribution to the 28-nation bloc.
10. As per reports, Johnson was accused of Islamophobia after saying Muslim women wearing burkas looked “like letter boxes.