Boris Johnson’s appointment as Theresa May’s new Foreign Secretary has raised some eyebrows.

From describing Hillary Clinton as looking like a "sadistic nurse" to referring to "flag-waving piccaninnnies with watermelon smiles", the former London mayor has offended a wide range of people.

Here's what he said about...

...Barack Obama

Johnson faced accusations of “dog whistle racism” less than three months ago after he appeared to suggest Barack Obama had a grudge against Britain because of his “part-Kenyan” heritage.

May mocks Boris

Hitting out at the US President for intervening in the Brexit debate, Mr Johnson wrote in The Sun about how he had removed a bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval office.

He said: “No one was sure whether the President had himself been involved in the decision. Some said it was a snub to Britain. Some said it was a symbol of the part-Kenyan President's ancestral dislike of the British Empire - of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender.”

...Hillary Clinton

In November 2007, Mr Johnson said of Hillary Clinton: “She’s got dyed blonde hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital."

... black people

Mr Johnson was forced to apologise back in 2008 after the then-London mayoral candidate was presented with his comments, written five years earlier, about black people.

In a column mocking Tony Blair's globetrotting, he wrote: "What a relief it must be for Blair to get out of England. It is said that the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies.” It also mentioned "watermelon smiles" – linking black people to an appetite for watermelons is a racist stereotype, particularly common in the US.

...China

In a 2005 column for the Telegraph entitled “Getting our knickers in a twist over China”, Mr Johnson played down the importance of the world’s most populous nation when compared to that of, for example, “the British Empire”.

Boris Johnson's defining moments Show all 32 1 /32 Boris Johnson's defining moments Boris Johnson's defining moments 2016 Boris Johnson swings from a bus as Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers (left), Northern First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster and Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment Jonathan Bell (second right) look on during a visit to Wrightbus Chassis plant in Antrim PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2015 Boris Johnson takes down 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of Street Rugby with a group of Tokyo children Reuters Boris Johnson's defining moments 2015 Boris Johnson planting flowers at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2015 A commuter gesturing to Boris Johnson as he cycles across Vauxhall Bridge PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2014 Mayor of London Boris Johnson boxes with a trainer during his visit to Fight for Peace Academy in North Woolwich Boris Johnson's defining moments 2014 The Mayor of London Boris Johnson wears a traditional headdress during a visit to the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, a major new Hindu temple being built in Kingsbury in London Boris Johnson's defining moments 2014 Many Conservative Party members gagging to have Boris Johnson as their MP PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2014 Boris Johnson prepares to deliver a speech in Bloomberg's European headquarters on Britain's involvement in the EU. Mr Johnson also announced his intention to become an MP again at the 2015 general election, whilst serving out the remainder of his term as mayor. Getty Images Boris Johnson's defining moments 2014 The Mayor of London Boris Johnson during a speech and Q&A session at Bloomberg, London, where he has said that 'in all probability' he will seek to stand for Parliament in next year's general election. PA Wire Boris Johnson's defining moments 2014 London mayor Boris Johnson helps shear a sheep held by New Zealand's most successful competition sheep shearer, David Fagan (L) on a visit to Lister Shearing Equipment in Stonehouse Boris Johnson's defining moments 2013 Mayor of London Boris Johnson takes a helicopter ride over Hong Kong as part of week long visit to China to promote trade between the far east and London PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2013 Boris Johnson explains why he's such a hit with female voters PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2013 Boris Johnson celebrates after a wildly successful interview with Eddie Mair PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2013 Mayor of London Boris Johnson sits in the operator's cab of a crane on the quay at DP World London Gateway Port in Stanford-le-Hope Boris Johnson's defining moments 2013 Boris Johnson shoots a basketball Getty Images Boris Johnson's defining moments 2013 The Mayor of London make a strong pose in what appears to be a particularly bad tourism advert for Asia PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2013 Boris Johnson meets saltwater crocodile George, which was named after the royal baby EPA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2013 Perhaps the only person ever who has ridden on the Emirates Air Line Getty Images Boris Johnson's defining moments 2012 Boris Johnson's encounter with a zip wire only served to prove how adept the London Mayor is at defying political gravity in 2012 Getty Images Boris Johnson's defining moments 2012 Boris Johnson playing tennis Getty Images Boris Johnson's defining moments 2012 Aside from his mayoral duties, London Mayor, Boris Johnson, is looking displeased at his seven appearances Rex Features Boris Johnson's defining moments 2012 Boris goes for a bounce in one of favourite places... (the Olympic village obviousy) Reuters Boris Johnson's defining moments 2011 London Mayor Boris Johnson on the streets of Clapham REUTERS Boris Johnson's defining moments 2011 Like a raging bull, Boris Johnson challenges a statue to a duel AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade Boris Johnson's defining moments 2010 Boris Johnson embraces a member of the public in Ealing, west London, who seems to have taken a shine to him FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2009 Frothy top? Boris Johnson visits Starbucks in Mayfair PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2009 Johnson tries on one of his favourite pink and sparkly hats Getty Images Boris Johnson's defining moments 2008 Johnson smiles smugly as he thinks of his fine mop of hair, worthy of a L'Oreal advert PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2008 Boris Johnson tries his hand at policing the capital - primarily by wearing a new hat PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 2008 The hippie world welcomes a new member to the fold in Boris Johnson Reuters Boris Johnson's defining moments 2004 Boris Johnson jogs on the streets of London PA Boris Johnson's defining moments 1980's Boris as a young'un. He was fired from his first job as a trainee reporter at The Times for making up a quote about the Plantagenet King Edward the II and his gay lover BBC

“We do not need to fear the Chinese,” he said. “China will not dominate the globe. We do not need to teach babies Mandarin.”

“Compared with the old British Empire, and the new American imperium, Chinese cultural influence is virtually nil, and unlikely to increase.”

...the French

In a speech in 2013, Mr Johnson recalled how he had met with the former French PM Alain Juppe, the mayor of Bordeaux at the time and therefore the representative of 239,517 people – the ninth biggest city in France.

Mr Johnson said: “I got the ball back very firmly over the net, folks, because I said there were 250,000 French men and women in London and therefore I was the mayor of the sixth biggest French city on earth.”

...the EU and Hitler

The former London Mayor said in May that the EU was an attempt to recreate the Roman Empire’s united Europe.

“Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods,” he added.

The incendiary comments sparked an immediate backlash and Donald Tusk, the European Council President, said Mr Johnson had “crossed the boundaries”.

But when asked on BBC’s Andrew Marr Show whether it was “abominable” to make the comparison between the Nazi dictator and the European Union, Mr Johnson responded: “I don’t write the headlines.”

...the Turkish president

Amid an international free speech row between Turkey and Germany, Mr Johnson agreed to take part in a poetry competition organised by his former magazine The Spectator.

His limerick reads:

“There was a young fellow from Ankara, Who was a terrific w*nkerer.