Boris Johnson’s mum did not call him ‘an idiot with no common sense’

16 December 2021
What was claimed

Boris Johnson’s mother, Charlotte Johnson Wahl described him as an idiot with no common sense” and said she hoped “he never goes into politics. He'd be a disaster.”

Our verdict

Mrs Johnson Wahl never said this. It is almost identical to another quote, attributed to Donald Trump’s mother, which was also debunked.

A Facebook post claims Boris Johnson’s mother said her son is “an idiot with no common sense”, “has very little in the way of social skills” and claims she hoped “he never goes into politics.”

The post attributes the quote to “Charlotte Maria Offlow Johnson” (aka Charlotte Johnson Wahl), mother to the Prime Minister. 

While the post includes a genuine photo of Mrs Johnson Wahl and her son (used in a number of obituaries following her death in September 2021), the quote is made up. 

A very similar version of the same quote appeared in 2019, attributed to Mary Anne Trump, the late mother of former US president Donald Trump. 

That quote was investigated by a number of American fact checkers who could not find any evidence it was genuine. 

The only text unique to the Facebook post we’re checking is a section saying “I love all my children dearly but Alexander Boris really has very little in the way of social skills, he's forever in some power struggle with his siblings and changes his mind constantly.”

This also appears to be made up. We can find no evidence Mrs Johnson Wahl said it, or anything similar. 

Boris Johnson has been the subject of fake quotes before. 

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