Boris Johnson’s road to resignation was long and winding, with many twists and turns.

While the spectacle of his departure will go down in British history, drama certainly isn’t unusual in the life of the 55th UK prime minister.

From his years at Eton College developing his ‘eccentric persona’, to his time in Oxford university’s infamous Bullingdon Club, the Tory leader’s early life certainly wasn’t boring.

His turbulent career in journalism was followed by a controversial political path – which saw him win the biggest Tory majority in decades, before being brought down by a series of scandals and more than 50 resignations.

The 58-year-old’s love life throughout the years has also been a roller-coaster, with three marriages, a number of alleged affairs and several children.

Join Metro.co.uk as we walk you through key moments in Mr Johnson’s life as his time in Downing Street reaches an end.

Key moments in Boris Johnson’s life

He was born in New York City to parents Stanley Johnson and Charlotte Fawcett.

After living in both the UK and America for several years, the family decides to stay at West Nethercote Farm, near Winsford, Somerset.

Mr Johnson receives a scholarship to attend elite boarding school Eton College, where he is said to have developed his ‘eccentric persona’.

He enrolls at the University of Oxford to study a four-year course in classics and ancient literature, where he joins the infamous Bullingdon Club and begins to use the name Boris.

While there, he meets other future senior Conservative Party figures, such as David Cameron, Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, and graduates with a 2:1.

Aged 23, Mr Johnson marries university sweetheart Allegra Mostyn-Owen.

The couple enjoys a honeymoon in Egypt, before moving to west Kensington in London.

Through family connections, he begins work as a trainee for The Times newspaper but is dismissed after fabricating a quote for an article on the archaeological discovery of King Edward II’s palace.

After securing a job at The Daily Telegraph through ex-university acquaintances, Mr Johnson is appointed to the newspaper’s Brussels bureau to report on the European Commission.

Mr Johnson and Ms Mostyn-Owen divorce and he begins a relationship with Marina Wheeler.

They marry later that year and the pair move back to Islington, north London, and have four children together.

Mr Johnson stands as the Conservative candidate for Henley and wins the seat with a majority of 8,500 votes.

He continues to work as the editor of The Spectator magazine despite promising not to run for Parliament while doing so.

Mr Johnson is sacked as shadow arts minister by Michael Howard after it was revealed he was having an affair with columnist Petronella Wyatt.

He previously named rumours an ‘inverted pyramid of piffle’.

After being re-elected as MP for Henley, Mr Johnson is appointed shadow higher education minister by David Cameron, then accused of having another affair with journalist Anna Fazackerley.

He is dismissed as editor of The Spectator by its new chief executive, Andrew Neil.

Mr Johnson is elected mayor of London, beating Labour candidate Ken Livingstone by 55% to 47%.

During his time in office, he continues such projects as Crossrail and the 2012 London Olympics and introduces new initiatives such as ‘Boris bikes’ and a ban on drinking alcohol on public transport.

He is re-elected for a second mayoral term in 2012.

Allegations came out that Boris had fathered a fifth child after an affair with Helen Macintyre, the wife of a property developer, in 2009.

A judge ruled that this information was in the public interest in 2013, stating, ‘the electorate was entitled to know when considering his fitness for public office’.

Mr Johnson is elected as MP for the safe Conservative seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in the general election.

He becomes a strong advocate of the Leave campaign in the Brexit referendum and, following Mr Cameron’s resignation, is tipped as a frontrunner to become Conservative leader – though he ultimately loses out to Theresa May.

Mr Johnson is appointed as foreign secretary in Mrs May’s Cabinet in July and stays in the post until 2018, when he resigns and returns to the Conservative backbenches.

In September 2018, Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler issued a statement confirming that after 25 years of marriage they had separated ‘several months ago’, and had begun divorce proceedings.

Following Mrs May’s resignation, Mr Johnson is elected leader of the Conservative Party and becomes Prime Minister on July 24.

In December, he wins a snap general election by a considerable margin of 80 seats – the biggest Tory majority since 1987.

On February 29, Mr Johnson and Carrie Symonds announced they had become engaged in late 2019, and that she is expecting a baby.

Wilfred Johnson was born on April 29.

The coronavirus crisis worsens within the first few months following the election victory.

Mr Johnson declares a nationwide lockdown on March 23, and is admitted to hospital with the disease on April 5.

He was admitted to intensive care, and left hospital on April 12.

The following month, it was revealed his de facto chief of staff Dominic Cummings made a trip with his family to Durham during the March 2020 lockdown while experiencing Covid-19 symptoms. Neither Mr Johnson or Mr Cummings resigned, despite widespread calls for them to.

In November, Mr Cummings and director of communications Lee Cain resigned amid reports of infighting.

Mr Johnson sends England into its third lockdown in January, but lifts most rules in July after a vaccination programme.

He faced many scandals throughout the year, including the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, Owen Paterson lobbying backlash and rumours about government parties during lockdown, which he denied.

On May 29, he married Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral, the first Prime Minister to wed in office since 1822.

On July 31 they announced they were expecting their second child together after Mrs Johnson suffered a miscarriage earlier that year.

Their daughter Romy was born on December 9.

Partygate revelations continue to anger millions across the nation, with Mr Johnson eventually being issued a fine by the Met Police.

Allegations about a culture of misogyny plague Parliament under Mr Johnson’s premiership, with some MPs accused of sexual misconduct.

Mr Johnson denies knowing of allegations about Chris Pincher, but later admits he did know – leading to more than 50 MPs resigning from the Government.

The PM finally agrees to step down on July 7 – but wants a long goodbye.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article