‘Maybe the Brits are just having us on’: the world reacts to Boris Johnson as foreign minister…
International community greets news of former London mayor’s big appointment with a mixture of fear, bemusement and panic
The Guardian
Thursday 14 July 2016
Bonnie Malkin, Philip Oltermann in Berlin and Tom Phillips in Beijing
Photograph: Lauren Hurley/PA
The world of politics, diplomacy and celebrity has reacted with a mixture of amusement and horror to the news that Boris Johnson has been appointed Britain’s new foreign secretary.
Johnson himself said he was “excited” to take up the new role , which will involve travelling the globe, meeting foreign leaders and representing Britain on the international stage.
However, his track record when it comes to interacting with other cultures is patchy to say the least, and politicians around the world will no doubt be intrigued by the prospect of working with a man who once wrote a poem about the Turkish president having sex with a goat.
In the US, the official reaction was one of carefully restrained laughter.
