{"id":4413,"date":"2015-05-11T10:26:28","date_gmt":"2015-05-11T10:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=4413"},"modified":"2015-05-11T10:26:28","modified_gmt":"2015-05-11T10:26:28","slug":"cameron-gives-london-mayor-a-political-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/cameron-gives-london-mayor-a-political-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameron gives London Mayor a political role"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Boris\"<\/a>Prime Minister David Cameron gave London Mayor Boris Johnson, a popular figure widely seen as his possible successor, a political role in government on Monday but stopped short of giving him a ministerial portfolio.
\n\u201cBoris Johnson will be attending my Political Cabinet. As promised, he will devote his attention to his final year as Mayor of London,\u201d Cameron said on Twitter.
\nIn last Thursday\u2019s general election, Johnson was elected as a Conservative member of parliament for a London constituency but his mayoral term runs until May 2016.
\nThe political cabinet is a meeting of the official cabinet with the addition of a few extra people, a spokesman for Cameron\u2019s Downing Street office said.
\nUnlike the official cabinet it excludes politically neutral civil servants and the matters discussed are party political.
\nCameron\u2019s announcement acknowledges Johnson\u2019s prominent position in Conservative politics while keeping options open for a more specific role later when his mayoral term is over.
\n\u201cThe mayor has accepted an invitation from the prime minister to attend political cabinet,\u201d a spokesman for Johnson said.
\n\u201cThis is not a ministerial appointment. He won\u2019t be attending full cabinet and won\u2019t be running any department. The mayor has always been clear \u2014 he has to fulfil his mandate running London first.\u201d
\nWidely popular thanks to a comic persona built on witty repartee, upper-class eccentricity and a knack for turning blunders and mishaps into evidence of authenticity, Johnson is both an asset and a potential threat to Cameron.
\nBefore the election, when polls were suggesting no party would win an overall majority, there was much speculation that Cameron\u2019s position as Conservative leader was not secure and that Johnson would soon be replacing him.
\nIn the event, Cameron led his party to a completely unexpected majority in parliament, allowing him to form a single-party government and reinforcing his personal standing within his party.
\nAs a result, Johnson\u2019s chances of succeeding Cameron are on hold for the time being.<\/p>\n

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