Johnson’s hobby drives frenzy of reaction

British prime ministerial hopeful Boris Johnson prompted puzzlement, amusement -- and some skepticism -- with the unexpected admission that he makes model buses by painting up wooden wine boxes. The former London mayor, battling with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to be the next Conservative Party leader and prime minister, said he partakes in the pastime to relax. “I make things,” the 55-yearold told TalkRadio in an interview Tuesday when asked how he winds down.

“I get old wooden crates, right? And I paint them,” the former foreign secretary added, noting the boxes would have typically contained two wine bottles. “It will have a dividing thing, and I turn it into a bus and... I paint the passengers enjoying themselves on the wonderful bus.” The unusual hobby produced an immediate outpouring of global reaction on the internet and among politicos -- ranging from the bemused to the belittling.

US political scientist Brian Klaas called it “truly weird” and “so bizarre that it’s mesmerising”, while Australian broadcaster Matt Bevan said “this is exactly how my (threeyear-old) son would answer this question”. Opposition Labour MP Owen Smith cast doubt on the veracity of Johnson’s claimed hobby.

“Is there anyone out there who believes that Boris spends his spare time relaxing by ‘making model buses out of crates and then painting model happy people enjoying the bus’?” he asked on Twitter. But others pointed out the gaffe-prone politician has a track record of sketching and painting. His mother is an artist and Johnson became an accomplished painter at a young age.