Cameron calls on bumbling Boris

THE new Tory leader yesterday made what may be his most popular but high-risk move by bringing Conservative clown prince Boris Johnson back to frontline politics.

David Cameron last night named Mr Johnson as the shadow minister for higher education. The appointment signals the end of his time in charge of The Spectator magazine.

Mr Johnson said the job would need "a lot of time and thought" and he would stand down from the magazine when the Christmas edition has gone to press.

In a statement Mr Johnson said he was delighted with the frontbench post.

"This is a fantastic job and I am thrilled to be given the chance to do it," he said.

The bumbling buffoon act and haystack hair-do undoubtedly disguise a huge intellect but there was little evidence of it during Boris's last outing as a shadow minister. During that time, he endured a series of scrapes, some deeply embarrassing, before the fall-out from an affair finally cost him the arts brief.

A low point came when he was sent to Liverpool to apologise for suggesting the city was "wallowing in victimhood" over the execution of Iraq hostage Ken Bigley.

Characteristically, he emerged with popularity and marriage intact and has lobbied hard for a job while acting as an enthusiastic cheerleader for Mr Cameron.

Boris had already conceded he is ready to give up the journalism that made his name, and caused him so many problems as a politician, in return for a position under the new leader.

"If I had to choose, I would choose politics," he revealed on a recent Desert Island Discs radio appearance.

The show was an entirely appropriate place for Mr Johnson to map out his political future, given the part programmes such as Have I Got News For You? have played in raising his profile.

Born Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson on June 19 1964, he was educated, like Mr Cameron, at Eton and Oxford.

He joined the Daily Telegraph in 1987. He remained a Telegraph columnist and Spectator editor as he started to climb the greasy pole at Westminster, taking the Tory seat Henley in 2001.

Michael Howard named him party vice-chairman in November 2003 and he was swiftly promoted to shadow Arts minister before his gaffes led to his axing by Mr Howard.