London | It’s often said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s political hero is Winston Churchill: man of letters, bon vivant, and a patriotic, boosterish leader who rose to meet an existential crisis. Johnson has even written a biography of his Downing Street predecessor.
But almost 15 years ago, Johnson – then aspiring to be London mayor – said his greatest political hero is actually fictional: it’s Larry Vaughn, mayor of the town terrorised by the giant killer shark in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film Jaws.
Hans van LeeuwenEurope correspondentHans van Leeuwen covers British and European politics, economics and business from London. He has worked as a reporter, editor and policy adviser in Sydney, Canberra, Hanoi and London. Connect with Hans on Twitter. Email Hans at hans.vanleeuwen@afr.com
