London (CNN) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to lose weight in 2020, but won't go vegan because it means giving up cheese.

In an interview with the BBC, the British Prime Minister said that while he wanted to slim down this year, he would not be taking part in Veganuary, the annual campaign encouraging people to stick to a plant-based diet for the first month of the year, because it "requires so much concentration".

Johnson said that while he takes his "hat off to vegans who can handle it, who manage to avoid all non-vegan products," he added that avoiding animal products is "a crime against cheese lovers."

The Prime Minister has previously said that he wanted to lose some of the weight he gained during his 2019 bid to lead the Conservative party followed by a snap general election campaign

It was widely reported in 2019 that Johnson's partner, Carrie Symonds, a prominent conservationist and environmental campaigner, had put him on a healthier diet. The Daily Mail newspaper reported last May that Symonds had also convinced Johnson to try a vegan diet. CNN asked Downing Street for comment, but at the time of publication has had no reply.

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