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David Clark & Nigel Nelson & Mike Kelly

Boris Johnson to use painting to get over quitting as PM, says his dad

Boris Johnson will become the artist formerly known as Prime Minister when he quits Downing Street, according to his dad. Stanley Johnson expects his son to return to painting to console himself after being forced to resign this week.

Mr Johnson finally threw in the towel on Thursday morning after pressure from scores of minister who quit following a scandal hit couple of months for the government, reports the Mirror. It came to a head when it was revealed he had been aware of allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" by MP Chris Pincher before making him deputy chief whip.

As the race to replace him begins, a rumours begun by one of Mr Johnson's ex lover claiming he would actually stand to be the next Tory leader have been quickly quashed. It has been revealed that any attempt by the PM to run again in the leadership contest would be against Tory party rules.

Read more: Boris Johnson's North East legacy: 'A story of failure'

Petronella Wyatt had taken to Twitter claim a Downing Street source told her Mr Johnson intends to stand down as PM on Monday so he can run for the Conservative party leadership. While he bowed to pressure to quit on Thursday he has stubbornly said he will remain in office until his successor is appointed.

He faces calls from within the party to let deputy prime minister Dominic Raab take over in a caretaker role.

Journalist Ms Wyatt, 54, who had an affair with Mr Johnson between 2000 and 2004, compared him to a "dictator" who was obsessed with "his own divine right" earlier this week.

However his father Stanley conjured a contrasting image of his son. He said: "I suspect he will go back to painting. He is a brilliant painter and 10 years down the line I would like to see him have a retrospective at the Institute of Contemporary Arts."

The Prime Minister's mother, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, was an accomplished portrait painter. Actress Joanna Lumley and novelist Jilly Cooper both sat for her and the PM was photographed with his easel while on holiday in Marbella last year.

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