MP Johnson vs. chef Oliver

Conservative Party delegates on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a motion calling Jamie Oliver a national hero as gaffe-prone politician Boris Johnson fumbled his way out of a spat with the celebrity chef.


The light-hearted debate came a day after flamboyant Tory MP Johnson suggested the chef had overstepped the mark in his campaign for healthy school dinners and backed parents who were "pushing pies through railings".

A characteristically exuberant Johnson, expressing bemusement at the media storm caused by his earlier comments, called Oliver a "messiah".

"I salute him," he told delegates on the last day of the annual Tory conference in Bournemouth.



Trying to clarify his remarks, the Conservative higher education spokesman added: "I may have made some references to the importance of eating pies."

Johnson is no stranger to rows over his politically incorrect comments. Oliver is only the latest in a string of individuals, cities, nationalities and nations to be insulted by Johnson in one of his frequent off-the-cuff remarks.

He was forced to apologise personally to the people of Liverpool after accusing them of wallowing in grief and he once suggested cannibalism was rife in Papua New Guinea.

Johnson, brushing his messy blonde hair from his eyes, tried on Wednesday to clear up any misunderstanding about Oliver.



Seventy-seven percent of delegates supported elevating Oliver to hero status after a debate that ranged from serious warnings on eating disorders to jokes about Johnson's weight.

Johnson called himself "fat" before again walking the fine line of political correctness by saying: "You get into terrible trouble if you say fatso."

One day earlier, Johnson was mobbed by scores of journalists and camera crews, hungry for headlines on a quiet news day.

Johnson, dubbed eccentric by some of his Tory colleagues, reportedly told a fringe meeting on Tuesday he would get rid of Oliver and allow children to eat what they like, while banning sweets in schools.

He backed parents in Yorkshire who pushed pies through school fences to pupils in protest at low-fat, healthy meals.