Boris really DOES love to draw buses: Picture of Johnson’s ‘art’ emerges

He revealed his love of painting buses on old wine boxes in a revealing campaign trail interview.

And now it appears Boris Johnson’s artistic fascination with the public transport staple goes further after a doodle of a double decker raised £1,000 for charity.

The Tory leadership favourite’s signed blue pen on paper artwork raised funds for the Anna Wilkinson Mockingbird Trust, which helps young people with cancer. 

It came as the former mayor of London’s former spin chief revealed that he did not limit his artwork to old boxes.

Ex-BBC correspondent Guto Harri, who worked for Mr Johnson when he ran the Capital, told Newsnight: ‘I know he’s a talented painter and I know that he used to genuinely paint little egg boxes.’

Mr Johnson revealed that he liked to relax by painting buses in an interview with TalkRadio yesterday.

The Tory leadership favourite said that he even added ‘passengers enjoying themselves’ as he wound down from intensive affairs of state.

Mr Harri, who was the mayor’s director of communications, told Newsnight that his old boss liked buses after bringing in new Routemaster style buses for London.

The PR man said: ‘That was one of his great manifesto commitments, to rid London of those hideous bendy buses and they went, and to put this beautiful Routemaster bus back on the streets of London. 

‘So yes it does hold a special metaphorical place close to his heart.’

Boris’s signed bus doodle for the Ann Wilkinson Mockingbird Trust raised £1,000 for the child cancer charity

The pen and paper drawing combined the word 'London' into a drawing of a double decker, with the letter O as the wheels

The pen and paper drawing combined the word ‘London’ into a drawing of a double decker, with the letter O as the wheels

Mr Johnson told TalkRadio: 'I like to paint or I make things. I get old wooden crates, right? And I paint them'

Mr Johnson told TalkRadio: ‘I like to paint or I make things. I get old wooden crates, right? And I paint them’

 The former mayor of London, 54, whose term in office included the introduction of the new ‘Boris bus’ to the capital’s streets, said he liked to relax by painting passengers enjoying themselves on his model vehicles.

He told TalkRadio: ‘I like to paint or I make things.’

He added: ‘I get old wooden crates, right? And I paint them.

‘I suppose it’s a box that’s been used to contain two wine bottles.

‘It will have a dividing thing, and I turn it into a bus and I put passengers …

‘I paint the passengers enjoying themselves on the wonderful bus. Low carbon, of a kind that we brought to the streets of London that reduces CO2, reduces nitrous oxide, reducing pollution.’

Guti Harri, who worked for Mr Johnson when he ran the Capital, told Newsnight: 'I know he’s a talented painter and I know that he used to genuinely paint little egg boxes'

Guti Harri, who worked for Mr Johnson when he ran the Capital, told Newsnight: ‘I know he’s a talented painter and I know that he used to genuinely paint little egg boxes’

Mr Johnson pictured today in central London, ahead of a Conservative leadership hustings event this evening

Mr Johnson pictured today in central London, ahead of a Conservative leadership hustings event this evening

Mr Johnson introduced the 'Boris Bus' to London - but the project was cancelled by his successor Sadiq Khan

Mr Johnson introduced the ‘Boris Bus’ to London – but the project was cancelled by his successor Sadiq Khan

It is not the first time that Mr Johnson has spoken of a love of homespun painting.

In 2011 he told the Metro newspaper: ‘I like to relax by painting on cheese boxes. You get Brie and Camembert in these lovely wooden boxes. 

‘Now it might sound cretinous – and I’m not a very good painter – but I enjoy it and find it therapeutic. 

‘I paint the whole thing white with a tube of children’s paint and I look for something to paint. 

‘The last thing I painted was a picture of one of my family in front of the Colosseum in Rome. I also like painting whisky bottles.’

Lib Dem leadership favourite Jo Swinson showed her tongue-in-cheek solidarity with Mr Johnson on Twitter this morning

Lib Dem leadership favourite Jo Swinson showed her tongue-in-cheek solidarity with Mr Johnson on Twitter this morning

Mr Johnson has a long relationship with buses.

In 2013, while mayor of London he  introduced a new fleet of red double-decker Routemasters which have folding doors to allow people to get on and off easily.

He described it as a ‘stunning piece of automotive architecture’ and they were quickly dubbed the ‘Boris bus’.

They use the latest green diesel-electric hybrid technology. In test conditions they produced just half the carbon dioxide of conventional diesel buses.

But h is successor, Sadiq Khan, said in 2017 he would stall purchases of the the new fleet to save money and freeze transports fares. 

Transport for London spent £350million on 1,000 of the new Routemasters at £350,000 each, while a normal hybrid was about £300,000.

And earlier this month Mr Johnson (pictured in 2016) won a High Court challenge against a court summons over claims he made during the referendum campaign that the EU receives £350million a week from the UK.

And earlier this month Mr Johnson (pictured in 2016) won a High Court challenge against a court summons over claims he made during the referendum campaign that the EU receives £350million a week from the UK.

Transport for London spent £350million on 1,000 of the new Routemasters at £350,000 each, while a normal hybrid was about £300,000

Transport for London spent £350million on 1,000 of the new Routemasters at £350,000 each, while a normal hybrid was about £300,000

And earlier this month Mr Johnson won a High Court challenge against a court summons over claims he made during the referendum campaign that the EU receives £350million a week from the UK.

The private prosecution by campaigner Marcus Ball centred on alleged offences relate to Mr Johnson’s ‘adoption and promotion of one of the central slogans’ of the Vote Leave campaign – including being written on the side of a bus.

The former Foreign Secretary’s legal team challenged the summons for him to attend Westminster Magistrates’ Court over three allegations of misconduct in a public office. 

And two High Court judges took barely five minutes to quash the case.

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