Boris Johnson’s new-found freedom

As Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson found himself restrained in ways that didn’t suit him. Now on the backbench once again, BoJo is able to speak freely on Brexit. He’s also able to return to a favourite pastime: cycling.

Although Johnson is a well known cycling enthusiast, the keen pedaller has been stuck on foot since taking up office as Foreign Secretary. In 2016 the Metropolitan Police banned him from cycling to work, fearing he would be a target for a terrorist attack. Now he’s back on the road. Writing the diary in this week’s Spectator, the former Foreign Secretary reveals his joy at finally getting back behind the handlebars and sailing down sunlit streets ‘like an ape released back into the wild by Howletts zoo’:

‘After two years of disuse, my bike is oiled and pumped. As I sail helmetless down the sunny street I feel like an ape released back into the wild by Howletts zoo — slight apprehension at being up close to other members of my species, with no keepers to look after me; but also an unmistakable sense of relief and joy.