Boris the charmer

ANdreW PIerCe’s article on the Tory party (Mail) mentioned the affection in which Boris Johnson is still held in henley-on-Thames.

My late husband was chairman of the henley Constituency Conservative Association when the search for a successor to Michael heseltine began in 2000. Boris Johnson’s application arrived at the last minute; the young cub took over from the old lion and I had the pleasure of meeting him on many occasions.

It soon became apparent that Boris’s popularity was down to a simple fact: he made people laugh. Although some felt ‘Bojo’ should decide whether he wanted to be a politician or a comedian, he brought something new to politics, thanks also to his journalistic background.

When my husband and I accompanied him on a walkabout in henley town centre just before the 2005 election, I asked a male passer-by what he made of Boris. ‘I don’t vote Conservative but I wouldn’t want anyone else for my MP,’ he replied. JunE gREEn, Bagshot, Surrey.