As Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigns from office, Sputnik recaps some of his more memorable antics.
'Nazi Olympics'
Earlier in 2018, amid mounting tensions between Moscow and London over the Skripal affair, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson publicly likened the FIFA World Cup in Russia to the 1936 Olympic Games that were held in Nazi Germany.
"I think that your characterization of what is going to happen in Moscow, the World Cup, in all the venues – yes, I think the comparison with 1936 is certainly right. It is an emetic prospect of Putin glorying in this sporting event," Johnson said in response to remarks from another MP who called for England to pull out from the football tournament.
here's Boris Johnson comparing Russia and Putin hosting the World Cup this summer to Hitler and the Berlin Olympics in 1936 pic.twitter.com/SfnggTFJg2
— Matthew Champion (@matthewchampion) 21 марта 2018 г.
Road to Mandalay
In 2017, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson decided to demonstrate his love of poetry and recite “The Road to Mandalay” by Rudyard Kipling – an 1890 poem about a British soldier’s fond memories of his service in colonial Burma.
Johnson unfortunately did his impromptu recital during his visit to Myanmar, right in the middle of the country’s most prominent Buddhist temple, much to the dismay of the British ambassador to Myanmar, Andrew Patrick, who was present at the scene.
Mind the Bodies
Shortly after his visit to war-torn Libya in 2017, Johnson cheerfully said during a party conference that he knows a group of “UK business people, some wonderful guys” seeking to invest in the Libyan city of Sirte and turn it "into the next Dubai," according to The Independent.
"The only thing they have got to do is clear the dead bodies away," he said.
A Fellow From Ankara
In 2016, Johnson won the “President Erdogan offensive poetry competition” held by The Spectator magazine, with the following limerick:
"There was a young fellow from Ankara,
Who was a terrific w*nkerer.
Till he sowed his wild oats,
With the help of a goat,
But he didn’t even stop to thankera.”
A few weeks later, Johnson was appointed as the UK’s foreign secretary.
Play to Win
In 2015, the then mayor of London was invited to participate in a children’s rugby game. During the match, however, Johnson apparently became a little too excited, ultimately tackling one of his 10-year-old opponents.
