--- description: The U.K.'s new leader is a “clownish figure with silly hair and a passing relationship with the truth,” according to the television host. title: John Oliver Takes Down Boris Johnson on 'Last Week Tonight' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # John Oliver Takes Down Britain's New Leader on _Last Week Tonight_ by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 29, 2019 8:40 AM CUT by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 29, 2019 8:40 AM CUT On Sunday night’s _Last Week Tonight_ [John Oliver](https://time.com/5527518/john-oliver-on-stephen-colbert/ "undefined") turned his attention to his native Britain, because “incredibly“ Boris Johnson was named prime minster. “Even if you know nothing about British politics, you’re probably already vaguely aware of him,” said Oliver, before recounting some of Johnson’s career lows — such as the time he got stuck on a zipline — and noting how “everything about his appearance is consistently, immaculately wrong.” Johnson, Oliver reminded viewers, was a key proponent in the [passage of Brexit](https://time.com/5530497/john-oliver-returns-brexit-last-week-tonight/ "undefined"), the plan for the U.K. to leave the European Union. He is also a “clownish figure with silly hair and a passing relationship with the truth,” according to Oliver. As prime minister, Johnson has the responsibility for making Brexit happen before Oct. 31 deadline, which is less than 100 days away. “The consequences for messing that up could have catastrophic ramifications for Britain, Europe, and the world,” Oliver explained. That is why he decided to devote his show to the man that Donald Trump — and no one else, according to [Oliver](https://time.com/5458295/john-oliver-declares-war-on-authoritarianism-on-last-week-tonight/ "undefined") — refers to as “Britain Trump.” For years, Johnson has been seen as “a lovable mess, weathering adversity with humor and good cheer,” but according to Oliver, that may be a very calculated image. He said [Johnson’s greatest trick](https://time.com/5636129/boris-johnson-cabinet-guide/ "undefined") is “presenting his own lack of preparation so charmingly that you actually doubt he’s unprepared, but he is.” See the video above. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5636284/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-boris-johnson/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5636284/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-boris-johnson/"},"headline":"John Oliver Takes Down Britain's New Leader on Last Week Tonight","datePublished":"2019-07-29T08:40:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:59:42.064Z","description":"Boris Johnson is a “clownish figure with silly hair\" Oliver says","url":"https://time.com/5636284/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-boris-johnson/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Late Night Television","John Oliver","Last Week Tonight","Boris Johnson","Brexit"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5636284/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-boris-johnson/","name":"John Oliver Takes Down Britain's New Leader on Last Week Tonight"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"What to Know About Boris Johnson, Britain's Next Prime Minister","description":"Boris Johnson has become Britain's next Prime Minister.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/H21U6d4C/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-07-23T11:25:06.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/H21U6d4C.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5636284/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-boris-johnson/","duration":"PT1M18S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5636284/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-boris-johnson/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```