Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Image source, EPA

Boris Johnson has been bequeathed a burgeoning non-Brexit in-tray.

Some of the contents will require swift - yet strategic - decisions.

Should he give Huawei any role in building a 5G communications network? Alienating the Chinese company may make it easier to have closer ties to the US administration.

Then there is the small matter of who to appoint as the next ambassador in Washington. Will the ability to be on convivial terms with President Trump be the key criterion for the job?

Boris Johnson’s previous dealings with Iran as foreign secretary didn’t secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

And now, with a UK-flagged tanker in Tehran’s hands, he will have to decide whether closer co-operation with the US in the Gulf would show strength or prove counterproductive.

These decisions could define his administration.

Then there is Boris Johnson’s own to-do list.

With an emaciated majority - and only because the DUP is just about on side - he will need to spend much of the summer signalling the sort of policy direction which might see him through a snap general election

There will be some easy wins, such as reviews of HS2 and so-called "sin taxes", some modest but symbolically important spending on schools, and attempts to break the social care stasis by seeking a cross-party consensus.

Any hard policy decisions which arise, of course, could prove more problematic.

And, in other areas, if Boris Johnson tries to turn ideas in to action he may have to proceed with uncharacteristic caution.

Some of his infrastructure plans carry a big price tag - just as the Bank of England and the Office of Budget Responsibility are warning of the economic costs of a no-deal Brexit.

And Mr Johnson’s proposals for tax cuts are likely to come at the expense of more borrowing.

It’s not clear if his potential help for higher earners will buy voters’ affections - or inflict a heavy political price.

Image source, Reuters

Speaking at a rally in Washington, US President Donald Trump says a "really good man is going to be the prime minister of the UK now".

He describes Boris Johnson as "tough" and "smart".

"They're saying 'Britain Trump - they call him Britain Trump'".

"People are saying that's a good thing - they like me over there.

"Boris is good, he's going to do a good job."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says Boris Johnson's leadership platform "appears to be tax write-offs for the very richest and a no-deal exit from the European Union".

Asked whether Labour will table a vote of no confidence in the new PM, he replies: "We will table one when appropriate to do so.

"We'll decide when that will be - it'll be an interesting surprise for all of you," he adds.

He says he understands Boris Johnson will be making a statement in the Commons on Thursday, when Labour will set out its own response.

Image source, Getty Images

Speaking after the 1922 Committee meeting, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "It was the sound of the Conservative Party reuniting.

"He left everybody feeling good, and positive and cheerful."

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Boris Johnson's campaign manager and former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith says "lots" of Tory MPs who didn't vote for him showed support for him in the meeting earlier.

"The general mood is really upbeat," he says - adding that those who are still bitter about his victory will be "vanishingly small very soon".

He says the UK will be seeking a new Brexit deal with the EU but it "won't be the withdrawal agreement that's there", which he describes as "dead".

He says he does not believe there is a majority in Parliament to stop the UK leaving the EU by the new Brexit deadline of 31 October.

He warns that the Brexit Party will "eat us alive" unless Brexit is delivered.

Some more details of that meeting of the 1922 Committee meeting in Parliament, where Boris Johnson is addressing backbench Tory MPs.

The BBC's Nick Eardley says one MP in the room indicated Mr Johnson indicated he would not hold a general election before the next one is due in 2022.

A source in the room indicated his main message to MPs was "Unite, unite, unite and win", he adds.

Image source, AFP

The outgoing EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has congratulated Boris Johnson on his victory.

He shared a letter addressed to the incoming PM, reading: "I understand that you are now occupied with the important responsibility of forming a new government.

"I wish you every success in the task ahead.

"I look forward to working together in the best possible way."

The support of 92,000 Conservative Party members has made Boris Johnson the UK's new prime minister - but there has been plenty of negative reaction to the news online.

Indeed, #NotMyPM is currently the second biggest trend on Twitter in the UK, with more than 50,000 tweets carrying the tag.

Anna Soubry - leader of the Independent Group for Change and formerly a Tory MP - has told the BBC that Mr Johnson's appointment is "very bad news for our country".

"It's a bleak day for British politics," she said.

"He's been elected on the basis that he is determined that we are going to leave the European Union on 31 October. He doesn't have a plan and he believes in our crashing out without a deal, which was not what we were promised and is not in our country's interest.

"I do not believe it has the support of the vast majority of the people of this country - but it does show you the shift of the Conservative Party to the right."

On Mr Johnson being elected by the Tory membership rather than the general public, Ms Soubry said: "That is not a mandate - 92,000 people determining our country's future and the future for our children?"

Peter Saull
Political Reporter, BBC Westminster

The role of chief whip is often described as that of "government enforcer", ensuring party loyalty by any means necessary.

Mark Spencer is unlikely to scare anyone into submission. Down to earth and unassuming, he still owns and runs a working farm in his Nottinghamshire constituency.

Every year, he dresses up as Santa Claus for the House of Commons children’s Christmas party.

He’s quietly built up his reputation in the whips’ office under Theresa May and is well-liked by his colleagues.

The fact that Boris Johnson’s first cabinet appointment is someone who campaigned for Remain might raise a few eyebrows, but with a wafer-thin working majority, the new prime minister needs the support of all wings of the Conservative party.

In the popular Mark Spencer, he has someone who might just be able to cajole his fellow Tories into line.

Boris Johnson has just arrived in Parliament to address a meeting of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs.

The BBC's Nick Eardley says his arrival was greeted by noisy and lengthy applause.

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From the other wing of the party, Conservative Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg says Boris Johnson has received a "very strong mandate" from party members.

He says the incoming PM has already made it clear that former Remain backers can serve in the cabinet, as long as they back leaving by 31 October in all circumstances.

Asked whether he is expecting a role in Mr Johnson's cabinet, he replies that he is "not expecting anything".

Asked whether he would serve in the cabinet if requested, he says: "I'll do anything he wants me to do."

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Another Conservative MP who backed Remain at the 2016 referendum, Nicky Morgan, says she welcomes the news that Mark Spencer will be the new chief whip.

Ms Morgan is part of the One Nation Conservative Caucus, a group of Tory MPs who oppose a no-deal Brexit.

She says the appointment is a "really good sign" that Boris Johnson wants to unite different parts of the party, adding Mr Spencer is "not known for being on one wing or the other".

She adds that Mr Johnson has a better chance of getting a Brexit deal through Parliament, as he will have "new political capital to expend".