Petition · past parliament

Require Boris Johnson to resign from the position of Foreign Secretary.

Rejected 17 signatures

What the petition asks

In 2002 Boris Johnson referred to members of the Commonwealth as "flag-waving piccaninnies" and to Africans as having "watermelon smiles". These views are clearly racist and mean that he is unsuitable to hold the office of Foreign Secretary and his appointment has brought the UK into disrepute.

Why it was rejected

It was about honours or appointments, which petitions cannot cover.

Timeline

14 Jul 2016 Petition opened for signatures
22 Jul 2016 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 17
Status Rejected
Rejected 22 Jul 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.