Boris Johnson's Blog, page 38

To swim, perchance to drown, is an undeniable human right

The PLA is not accountable to the Mayoralty, I should say, which is itself an absurd state of affairs. It is supposed to report to Justine Greening, but it seems that our excellent Transport Secretary was no more consulted about the matter than I was....

Boris Johnson: Olympic rings on Tower Bridge ‘a wake-up call for London’

Giant Olympic rings became the crowning glory on Tower Bridge today as the countdown to the London 2012 Games enters the last 30 days.


London 2012 chairman Lord Coe and mayor Boris Johnson were among the VIPs who watched as the rings - 82 feet (25 ...

House of Lords reform: Nick Clegg’s crazy plan is a pay day for has-beens and never-wozzers

The Upper House has soldiers and airmen and scholars and lawyers and scientists and film directors and heaven knows what – many of whom would not dream of seeking election on a party-political ticket. Week in, week out they beaver away, revising and...

Dithering Europe is heading for the democratic dark ages

It took hundreds of years before the population was restored to Roman levels. If we think that no such disaster could happen again, we are not just arrogant but forgetful of the lessons of the very recent past. Never mind the empty temples of the Azte...

Hail Mayor Mike and the paper cups that will not runneth over

Uh-huh, you bet, there you go, have a nice day, no problem at all, sir. With all the legendary courtesy of the American catering industry, the white-hatted staff were piling each plate with enough calories to feed a family of Eritreans for a week. The...

I could be President of the United States, Boris Johnson tells David Letterman

Mr Johnson was in jovial mood as he returned to New York, the city of his birth, to face questions from veteran talk show host David Letterman.


He was quizzed on a host of topics including the 'Boris bike' cycle hire scheme, a similar version of wh...

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee: The people bunted for Britain – even the Royals were stunned

And so they came and they cheered and they waved and they provided at last a past tense for bunting. They bunted for Britain.
They were cheering all kinds of things. They were acknowledging the spectacle of the pageant itself, the sheer joy of all tho...

The people bunted for Britain – even the Royals were stunned

And so they came and they cheered and they waved and they provided at last a past tense for bunting. They bunted for Britain.
They were cheering all kinds of things. They were acknowledging the spectacle of the pageant itself, the sheer joy of all tho...

Boris Johnson at Hay Festival 2012: I won’t be PM

Follow our live coverage of the Hay Festival


Speaking at the Hay Festival, the Mayor of London was asked whether he would want to be Prime Minister.


In his denial, he proceeded to give a long list of things that might happen before he could ever ...

Boris Johnson’s ‘Life of London’: exclusive extract

Turner had known John Constable since at least 1813. Constable had always been kind to the great lion – in public, at any rate – and praised his “visionary qualities”. It was only a few years ago that Turner had personally informed the younger...