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Original poster

Can someone explain to me why Boris Johnson is referred to as ‘Boris’ and Sadiq Khan is referred to as ‘Khan’?

91 replies

652needtogetup · 02/05/2024 22:13

I’ve noticed not only on here but on social media too. I find it interesting that Boris Johnson is pretty much always called by his first name but Sadiq Khan is pretty much always called by his surname and actually ditto Keir Starmer.

OP posts:

ShoveItUpYourArseMargaret · 03/05/2024 10:18

I suppose it’s whatever sticks eg. Cameron, Gove. Surnames are more formal and respectful I suppose and as others have mentioned BJ comes across as a bit of a blundering fool….Plus it could get confusing if we start using first names….we have Sooo many Sarahs and Jos at work!

CheshireCat1 · 03/05/2024 10:18

Cameron was known by his first name, Dodgy Dave.

ShoveItUpYourArseMargaret · 03/05/2024 10:24

On a side note my DF who will eternally be stuck in the officialdom of the past refers to Boris as “Johnston” (in an icon type way a la Churchill). This makes conversations difficult, I had no idea who he was talking about, it took a while for the penny to drop and realise he was talking about BJ 😆

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BloodyHellKenAgain · 03/05/2024 10:37

Trainbother · 02/05/2024 22:27

Boris isn't even his really name. The whole thing is a caricature.

I thought I was his middle name?

TonTonMacoute · 03/05/2024 11:34

ClaudiaWankleman · 03/05/2024 09:58

Sadiq Khan is almost exclusively referred to as 'Khan' by the slightly suspect and abusively critical Twitter/ X accounts I come across. Lots of people seem to refer to 'Khan's London'. Some also refer to Londonistan in the same tweets - there's a very clear anti-muslim message in their phrasing.

Twitter/X.

Life's a lot better and less stressful without looking at that sewer.

urbanbuddha · 03/05/2024 11:49

I was pondering when “Sadiq” had changed to “Khan” - everyone I know still calls him “Sadiq” - but yesterday on here the majority of posters, supportive and otherwise, were using “Khan”. I assume it must be Twitter influenced.
Maybe we could ask the forensic linguists at Aston University for an explanation.

wompwomp · 03/05/2024 12:11

Boris is the outlier. Usually it's the surname. Macron, Trudeau,Trump, Biden, May, Blair.

But some people have first bags that are just easier or more distinctive. Boris.

Famous painters abd gonoisers generally last name.

Hollywood and musical stars generally first name.

tobee · 03/05/2024 13:16

Because it is (was) all about cult of personality. Boris Johnson is a populist. It's all about him.

tobee · 03/05/2024 13:18

Bululu · 03/05/2024 08:39

Does the charismatic Bojo lives rent free in your head? If you think Sadiq Khan is doing a good job you are part of the problem here. Teens are killing teens on the streets of London. Kids that are being filled with hate and division. My friend got mugged yesterday and another one last week. If he is called Khan he is lucky. This DID not happened when Boris was the major.

Edited

This is just right wing press propaganda that you've fallen for.

Clavinova · 03/05/2024 13:38

OhYoko · 03/05/2024 10:10

Keir is an unusual name though and that's not caught on as a "first-name-only" basis for Starmer has it?

Keir Starmer is often referred to as Keith on social media - a name first penned by Labour supporters who think he has betrayed the left-wing of the party (and they don't want to associate his name with Keir Hardie).

cardibach · 03/05/2024 17:20

LBFseBrom · 03/05/2024 09:06

Many prime ministers are commonly know by their first name. Remember Margaret, Tony, Harold, etc? It depends on the name. David Cameron was always known by his full name, as was Theresa May and is Rishi Sunak. I have also known Boris Johnson to be called 'BoJo' and, would you believe, ''BJ'! I've mostly heard Sadiq Khan called by his full name. Ken Livingstone was colloquially known as 'Red Ken'.

Show quote history

No, I don’t remember that. All those people were routinely called by their surname (except occasionally Thatcher because Maggie made for a better chant with ‘out’).

IClaudine · 03/05/2024 17:26

Maggie! Maggie! Maggie!

Out! Out! Out!

Maggie! Out! Maggie! Out!

Such good times...

Disasterclass · 03/05/2024 18:03

Well we all called Ken Livingston just 'Ken'. We also call Sadiq just by his first name in our house so maybe there's some kind of familiarity we have with our mayors in London.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/05/2024 21:27

cardibach · 03/05/2024 17:20

No, I don’t remember that. All those people were routinely called by their surname (except occasionally Thatcher because Maggie made for a better chant with ‘out’).

Show quote history

Margaret Thatcher was also nicknamed TINA ( There Is No Alternative )

And I remember Ken Livingstine as Red Ken.

Original poster

652needtogetup · 03/05/2024 21:55

@70isaLimitNotaTarget I’d never heard that before.

OP posts:

Binglebong · 03/05/2024 22:23

Boris is a personality first and a politician second. He became famous by being a commenter etc where he was naturally referred to be his chosen name, his political success was based on that so he needed to keep the familiarity by using the same name. Because he was publicised with that name when the news etc referred to him they too would use the one the public were more familiar with.

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