約翰遜接任倫敦市長——戈登·布朗遭受重創

Conservative Party politician Boris Johnson was sworn in as Mayor of London last month， beating Labour Party candidate and former Mayor Ken Livingstone in a tight election battle.

上個月，保守黨鮑里斯#8226;約翰遜在緊張的選舉中擊敗工黨候選人和前任倫敦市長肯#8226;利文斯通后宣誓就任倫敦市長。

43-year-old Mr. Johnson had been dismissed as a joke by many when he first stood for mayor.

現年43歲的約翰遜剛參選市長時曾一度被視為小丑。

But he now controls a budget of more than pound;11bn， with responsibility for transport， policing and planning for a four-year term that will end just weeks before the 2012 Olympic Games open.

但現在他卻控制了用以交通、治安管理以及城市部署的110億英鎊，而他的4年任期將在2012倫敦舉辦奧運會前的幾個星期內結束。

The defeat comes as a bitter blow for Labour leader and current Prime Minister Gordon Brown， whose embattled party suffered massive defeats during local elections at the start of May.

這次選舉的結果對于工黨和現任首相戈登#8226;布朗（他領導的工黨在5月初的地方議會選舉中遭受重創）是個沉重的打擊。

Many believe that while Ken Livingstone was a good mayor， the electorate voted for the Conservative candidates as a protest against the Labour government. The Government has come under fire recently because of the falling economy， rising crime and the Iraq war.

很多人認為肯#8226;利文斯通是個好市長，但將票投給保守黨候選人的選民還是對工黨領導的政府有意見。由于經濟持續下跌、犯罪率不斷上升以及伊拉克戰爭，英國政府受到了民眾的猛烈抨擊。

Renowned for his trademark hairstyle， Mr. Johnson is one of the most recognisable figures in British politics. A former journalist and editor of the Spectator political magazine， Johnson is known for his outspoken views and controversial opinions on a range of issues， from religion to homosexuality.

而因標志性發型而廣為人知的約翰遜在英國政壇上是最容易被辨認的人物之一。他曾是政治性雜志《觀察家》的記者和編輯，因坦率的觀點和在諸如宗教、同性戀等易產生爭議的問題上的論點而聞名。

Mr. Johnson， 43， has had a particularly checkered political career， and has been the centre of numerous scandals and political arguments – most famously when he was sacked from the Shadow Cabinet for lying to former leader Michael Howard. (Sources: Reuters Guardian)

43歲的約翰遜的政壇生涯曾一波三折并是無數流言蜚語和政治爭議的主角，最著名的就是他曾因對前領導人邁克爾#8226;霍華德說謊而被影子內閣（即政府首腦挑選的智囊團）開除。（源自：路透社和《衛報》）