<p class="title">Boris Johnson took over as Britain's prime minister on Wednesday, promising to pull his country out of the European Union on October 31 by any means necessary.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A day after winning the leadership of his Conservative party, the former London mayor and figurehead of the 2016 Brexit campaign formally replaced Theresa May.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His ascent is the culmination of a lifelong ambition for the blond-haired politician, who delights in playing the clown but now faces an immense challenge ahead.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson has promised to deliver Brexit in three months' time but faces opposition in Brussels and has only a wafer-thin majority in the British parliament.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Beloved by many for his refusal to take life too seriously, he is accused by others of divisive rhetoric, a flexible approach to the truth and incompetence.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Before he even took office, several pro-European ministers quit in protest at his threat to leave the EU without a divorce agreement to ease the split.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn challenged Johnson to call a snap general election, saying he has no mandate from the public to govern.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Although he won a landslide of Conservative party members, a YouGov survey Wednesday found Johnson's approval rating was just 31 percent among the public.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Even his appointment was disrupted by climate protesters, who briefly stopped his convoy heading to Buckingham Palace to be nominated by Queen Elizabeth II.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson is expected to swiftly announce his new cabinet, and his first appointment proved predictably contentious.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He named as a top adviser Dominic Cummings, a combative character who helped lead the victorious "Vote Leave" campaign during the 2016 EU referendum.</p>.<p class="bodytext">May resigned after failing to get her plan for leaving the EU through parliament, forcing her to twice delay Britain's departure date.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson has vowed to renegotiate her deal or take Britain out of the bloc at the next deadline, October 31, without any agreement with Brussels.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But the EU refuses to reopen the text, while some of his own MPs have said they might even bring down the government rather than accept a damaging "no-deal" exit.</p>.<p class="bodytext">May took over three years ago promising to deal with the "burning injustices" in society but leaves behind a divided party, country and Brexit in doubt.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a short speech in Downing Street, before tendering her resignation to the queen at the palace, she wished Johnson "every good fortune".</p>.<p class="bodytext">A heckler shouted "Stop Brexit" as she stood with her husband Philip by her side, to which she retorted: "I think not."</p>.<p class="bodytext">But she emphasised that Brexit should be done "in a way that works for the whole United Kingdom", amid fears a disorderly divorce could cause irreparable damage to ties between England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.</p>.<p class="bodytext">During his victory speech on Tuesday, Johnson urged Britain to "ping off the guy-ropes of self-doubt and negativity" and vowed to unite the country.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A source in his campaign team said he would build a diverse cabinet with more women and a record number of ethnic minority politicians.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sajid Javid, the son of a Pakistani immigrant and currently May's interior minister, has been widely tipped to take over as finance minister.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Brexit aside, the most immediate problem facing Johnson is a stand-off with Iran after Tehran seized a UK-flagged tanker in the Gulf last week.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The current foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, was Johnson's rival for the leadership and is not expected to keep his job, although he may stay in cabinet.</p>.<p class="bodytext">May's government also provoked the ire of US President Donald Trump this month with the leak of diplomatic cables criticising the White House.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson has emphasised the importance of Britain's relations with the United States.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And Trump was one of the first to congratulate Johnson on his victory saying he would be "great" and describing him as "Britain Trump".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trump suggested Johnson would work together well with anti-EU figurehead Nigel Farage, whose Brexit Party has taken a big chunk of eurosceptic votes from the Conservatives.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson has ruled out any electoral pact. </p>
<p class="title">Boris Johnson took over as Britain's prime minister on Wednesday, promising to pull his country out of the European Union on October 31 by any means necessary.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A day after winning the leadership of his Conservative party, the former London mayor and figurehead of the 2016 Brexit campaign formally replaced Theresa May.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His ascent is the culmination of a lifelong ambition for the blond-haired politician, who delights in playing the clown but now faces an immense challenge ahead.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson has promised to deliver Brexit in three months' time but faces opposition in Brussels and has only a wafer-thin majority in the British parliament.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Beloved by many for his refusal to take life too seriously, he is accused by others of divisive rhetoric, a flexible approach to the truth and incompetence.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Before he even took office, several pro-European ministers quit in protest at his threat to leave the EU without a divorce agreement to ease the split.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn challenged Johnson to call a snap general election, saying he has no mandate from the public to govern.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Although he won a landslide of Conservative party members, a YouGov survey Wednesday found Johnson's approval rating was just 31 percent among the public.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Even his appointment was disrupted by climate protesters, who briefly stopped his convoy heading to Buckingham Palace to be nominated by Queen Elizabeth II.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson is expected to swiftly announce his new cabinet, and his first appointment proved predictably contentious.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He named as a top adviser Dominic Cummings, a combative character who helped lead the victorious "Vote Leave" campaign during the 2016 EU referendum.</p>.<p class="bodytext">May resigned after failing to get her plan for leaving the EU through parliament, forcing her to twice delay Britain's departure date.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson has vowed to renegotiate her deal or take Britain out of the bloc at the next deadline, October 31, without any agreement with Brussels.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But the EU refuses to reopen the text, while some of his own MPs have said they might even bring down the government rather than accept a damaging "no-deal" exit.</p>.<p class="bodytext">May took over three years ago promising to deal with the "burning injustices" in society but leaves behind a divided party, country and Brexit in doubt.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a short speech in Downing Street, before tendering her resignation to the queen at the palace, she wished Johnson "every good fortune".</p>.<p class="bodytext">A heckler shouted "Stop Brexit" as she stood with her husband Philip by her side, to which she retorted: "I think not."</p>.<p class="bodytext">But she emphasised that Brexit should be done "in a way that works for the whole United Kingdom", amid fears a disorderly divorce could cause irreparable damage to ties between England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.</p>.<p class="bodytext">During his victory speech on Tuesday, Johnson urged Britain to "ping off the guy-ropes of self-doubt and negativity" and vowed to unite the country.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A source in his campaign team said he would build a diverse cabinet with more women and a record number of ethnic minority politicians.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sajid Javid, the son of a Pakistani immigrant and currently May's interior minister, has been widely tipped to take over as finance minister.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Brexit aside, the most immediate problem facing Johnson is a stand-off with Iran after Tehran seized a UK-flagged tanker in the Gulf last week.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The current foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, was Johnson's rival for the leadership and is not expected to keep his job, although he may stay in cabinet.</p>.<p class="bodytext">May's government also provoked the ire of US President Donald Trump this month with the leak of diplomatic cables criticising the White House.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson has emphasised the importance of Britain's relations with the United States.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And Trump was one of the first to congratulate Johnson on his victory saying he would be "great" and describing him as "Britain Trump".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trump suggested Johnson would work together well with anti-EU figurehead Nigel Farage, whose Brexit Party has taken a big chunk of eurosceptic votes from the Conservatives.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Johnson has ruled out any electoral pact. </p>