The first time I came across Boris Johnson was when he was hiding in the press office at Tory party conference in Bournemouth 2006.
The Conservative MP, then a shadow education minister, was escaping the media frenzy after committing four gaffes in as many hours.
“Oh God, it’s like Liverpool all over again,” despaired a Tory aide with memories of a previous controversy that resulted in Johnson visiting the city to apologise.
