When you look at Boris Johnson, you would be wise to conclude that he’s not exactly a picture of Welshness. To many, he is a bastion of Etonian elitism and all which goes with it. Yet, did you know that, despite this, Boris Johnson ran as the Conservative Party candidate for Clwyd South (north Wales) in the 1997 General Election?

Of course, Boris stood as the conservative candidate for Clwyd South in 1997, and at just 32 years of age, he felt that he could make a difference and win the constituency.

Unfortunately, he did not receive the memo that this was 1997 and it was not going to go as he hoped.

The Election Result

Johnson secured around 9,091 votes, which accounted for 23.1% of the total, placing him second behind Labour’s Martyn Jones, who garnered 22,901 votes, 58.1% of the total votes cast.

The Liberal Democrat candidate, Andrew Chadwick, received 3,684 votes, which accounted for around 9.4%. The voter turnout was pretty high in Clwyd South at this particular election, standing strong at 73.6%.

The Campaign Itself

The campaign was typical Boris style, it included many mispronunciations of Welsh words, and even saw him going for a swim in Afon Dyfrdwy, or the River Dee in English. Sadly, I was unable to find any video evidence of any of this happening, almost as though it was quietly brushed under the rug for some reason.

Whereas Boris lost this election, it is worth noting that, in 2019, when Boris was the Conservative Prime Minister, Clwyd South did indeed become a Conservative constituency for the first time.

And if you ever want to learn about another wild political campaign from 1997, check out Jacob Rees-Mogg running for central Fife in Scotland.

Spoiler: It didn’t go well.

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Niklas George

Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.