John Oliver uses Hugh Grant to explain why Boris Johnson will catastrophically fail as Britain's leader

John Oliver explains Boris Johnson
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Last Week Tonight)

John Oliver didn't mince words when assessing the United Kingdom's new leader. "The U.K. is about to be completely f--ked," he said on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. "Incredibly, Britain's new prime minister is Boris Johnson, and even if you know nothing about British politics, you're probably already vaguely aware of him," Oliver said. He's "a clownish figure with silly hair" and "eccentric, chaotic outfits," and "it's honestly hard" to find photos "where he doesn't look ridiculous."

But "Johnson's bumbling persona is a carefully calibrated act" — he "learned at an early age the benefit of making yourself the butt of the joke," Oliver said. It's just not very funny anymore: "An absolutely crucial leader in the Brexit campaign," Johnson now has to finalize a Brexit deal by Oct. 31, "and the consequences of messing that up could have catastrophic ramifications for Britain, Europe, and the world."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.