Boris Johnson's the new UK foreign secretary and Twitter's gone bonkers
On Wednesday, key Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson was handed the reins to British diplomacy after being appointed foreign secretary of the UK in new Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet.
Johnson, along with May, was in the running to be the new prime minister after David Cameron resigned, following the UK's vote to quit the European Union. But Johnson ruled himself out of the running early on.
The former mayor of London is no stranger to controversies, and his gaffes have made headlines around the world, including an incident in 2015 in which he reportedly knocked down a 10-year-old Japanese boy while playing touch rugby during a visit to Tokyo.
Earlier this year, Johnson penned a five-line poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him a "wankerer" who had had sex with a goat, which won the Brexiteer first place in The Spectator's President Erdogan Offensive Poetry competition.
He has previously suggested that Barack Obama was "part-Kenyan" in a column for The Sun newspaper, which he said had possibly given the U.S. President an "ancestral dislike of the British Empire." He called presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton a "sadistic nurse in a mental hospital" in a column for The Telegraph. Johnson also said he'd avoid parts of New York to avoid the risk of running into presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Even former U.S. President George W. Bush wasn't spared - with Johnson reportedly calling him "a cross-eyed Texan warmonger."
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, meanwhile, he likened to a "voracious weasel."
Following Johnson's appointment, British newspapers lined up to publish further reminders of the Old Etonian's gaffes, which they reported including calling Commonwealth citizens "flag-waving piccaninnies," accusing Papua New Guineans of partaking in "orgies of cannibalism," and describing residents of the Congo as "tribal warriors" with "watermelon smiles."
Not leaving out one of the world's most powerful countries, Johnson reportedly also offended the Chinese during the Beijing Olympics by remarking that China, which excels had table tennis, had not invented the game. Instead, he said, it was developed from an English game called "wiff-waff."
Johnson's appointment to the British foreign office understandably left many perplexed. Eurasia Group's president, Ian Bremmer, took to Twitter to sum up Johnson's appointment.
Ian Bremmer
Labour MP Angela Eagle had a more expressive reaction upon learning of Johnson's appointment.
Angela Eagle
U.S. State Department's deputy spokesman, Mark Toner, tried to take the news seriously but failed.
Mark Toner
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed Johnson's appointment with a completely straight face.
Michael Bloomberg
But few others managed it, as comedians, sportsmen and journalists joined in the joking.
Ricky Gervais
Gary Lineker
Robert Wright
Someone then pointed out that in his new post, Johnson was now in charge of British intelligence service MI6.
Heidi Moore