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What London mayor's Brexit stand means

By Chris Peterson | China Daily | Updated: 2016-02-26 08:07

After weeks of very public will he, won't he, London Mayor Boris Johnson, a former school friend and political ally of UK Prime Minister David Cameron, broke ranks and said he would join six other leading figures from the ruling Conservative Party in campaigning for the UK to leave the European Union.

Many see his move as tactical, aimed at securing first place in the queue to replace Cameron as prime minister at the next general election in 2020. Quite a few analysts, including those who support the UK leaving the EU, believe Johnson's support would tip the balance in favor of an "out" vote. Johnson, they say, is one of UK's most-loved politicians and a future prime minister. But I don't think so. Here's why.

I am starting to feel that here we have a case of a celebrity politician who has started to believe in his own publicity. If some press reports in the UK are to be believed, Cameron was so keen to get Boris on his side that he offered him several key jobs - foreign minister, defence minister and other plum posts.

What London mayor's Brexit stand means

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