British parliamentarian Boris Johnson said that he feels Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have a chance to become the prime minister of the United Kingdom, but these chances are as slim and as wide as the chances of him being UK's prime minister.



Boris Johnson was speaking at the session 'The Devil & the Deep: Bitter cocktails from Brexit' of India Today Conclave 2019 at Taj Palace hotel in New Delhi today.

Boris Johnson was asked if he would like to become the prime minister of the United Kingdom. To this, he said, "Thankfully, there is no vacancy for that office," he said.

Boris Johnson then went on to say that "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has as much chance of becoming UK's prime minister as I have".

Earlier, while responding to a question on his impression of Narendra Modi, Boris Johnson described Modi as a "firecracker".

"I have formed a very very positive impression of him. He came to meet me when I was London's mayor. Then he went and held a rally at Wembly. And I knew that we were dealing with an absolute political phenomenon, because he got huge number of people to support him," he said.

Also, Boris Johnson said his fellow Britons were outraged by the suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir last month.

Boris Johnson said India and the UK would succeed in defeating terrorism, a common threat, for their values were superior to those of terrorists and their sponsors.

"I'm sure I speak for millions of people in my own country when I say we stand that shoulder-to-shoulder with India in outrage at the killings in Pulwama, and in our determination to work with you to defeat the terrorist foe that threatens us both," Boris Johnson said.

"And we will succeed, and we will defeat them because in the end, it is our values that are superior to those of the terrorists, and those who sponsor them."

Johnson said there was no doubt that the deep state in Pakistan "has been responsible, chronically, for association with sponsorship of terrorist groups".

He said the UK puts a "huge amount of pressure" on Pakistan, but admitted more pressure could be exerted though Britain's aid budget.

"I happen to think that [Pakistan Prime Minister] Imran Khan, as far as I understand matters...behaved sensibly and prudently in deciding to release the pilot, and I think that was a good move," Boris Johson said.

"But he clearly faces a very, very difficult situation, and I think all of us who worry about what is going on there have got a real, real duty to support the civilian side of government in Pakistan" against the military and "deep state elements", Johnson said.