The bookies’ favourite to be the next UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying out a vegan diet, according to reports.

The Conservative MP has been touted as a potential PM for years, and is now odds-on to be Teresa May’s successor in the buildup to the leadership race.

According to reports in the Daily Mail Johnson has confided in a fellow Tory MP and revealed making a drastic lifestyle shift by adopting a vegan diet.

He said he is ‘toying with going vegan’ and said ‘I’m trying it out’ to his friend.

The decision is thought to be influenced by his 30-year-old girlfriend Carrie Symonds.

His new diet, which contrasts his reputation for being a passionate carnivore, has contributed to dramatic weight loss for the PM hopeful, as he has lost 12lbs in two weeks.

• Read: Tesco removes meat and fish counters due to ‘low customer demand’

Symonds, the former head of press for the Conservatives, is a passionate environmentalist who is thought to influence Johnson’s policies.

The decision to go vegan is a drastic switch in mentality. In 2008 under pressure from climate activists, he said: “If they seriously believe that I am going to give up eating meat — in the hope of reducing the temperature of the planet — then they must be totally barmy.”

Johnson is the former Foreign Secretary under May’s leadership, but quit as he was critical of her Brexit strategy.

He has served as the Mayor of London and has been an MP since 2001. Johnson is currently is 7/4 odds-on the be the next Prime Minister, ahead of closest rivals Dominic Raab at 4/1, Michael Gove at 5/1, Jeremy Hunt at 11/1 and Andrea Leadsom at 12/1.

• Read: Vegan comedian Romesh Ranganathan sums up why people hate vegans in brilliant video

What do you think of Boris Johnson’s decision to try out veganism? Share your thought in the comments below

Oli Gross

Oli’s career and personal ethical values both help shape his reporting of the diverse world of veganism. His background is in local newspaper and magazine journalism, and his work has included reporting court cases, celebrity interviews, business analysis, food and drink features and government legislation.

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