Take a look back at Boris Johnson's relationship with the ITV Border region

• Watch Tom Sheldrick's video report from 7 July 2022

Boris Johnson has made some memorable visits to our region - during a rocky relationship over the years.

In 2005, when he was a newspaper columnist, he wrote in unflattering terms about a night out in Carlisle, describing "a pagan semi-nudity" and declaring "there are better places to be."

Questioned on that by ITV Border when he returned to the city as Shadow Education Minister the following year, he joked:"If I've offended the chap who offered to hit me, by reminding him of how he wanted to hit me, then I sincerely apologise to him, for any offence I have caused.

"This is a thing you can do now, you can apologise for the offence you have caused." 

In 2016, Mr Johnson led the Leave campaign during the EU referendum, winning over a majority of voters in Cumbria but not the South of Scotland.

Three years later he was back in the region during Conservative leadership hustings in Carlisle.

To the amusement of the audience gathered, Mr Johnson was interrupted whilst talking about climate change by the sound of the helicopter.

He said: "Whose chopper is that? I've got a terrible feeling that's mine. A deeply embarrassing moment folks, just as I'm talking about climate change."

With his promises to "level up" and spread prosperity around the UK by investing in more regions like ours, Mr Johnson beat the then Penrith & The Border MP Rory Stewart in the contest.

Mr Johnson entered Downing street in 2019 and soon sacked Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell as Scottish Secretary, replacing him with Dumfries & Galloway MP Alister Jack.

When Mr Johnson prorogued parliament in 2019 there were protests in Keswick and elsewhere, but promising to 'Get Brexit Done' worked at the General Election.

The Conservatives gained a symbolic victory in Workington which had been considered a safe Labour seat, helping break the so-called Red Wall.

The Party went on to win the election overall with a landslide victory.

Mr Johnson has continued to deny SNP demands for another Scottish independence referendum. 

The Prime Minister managed to secure his election promise on Brexit and the country departed from the European Union in January 2020.

Soon after, his time in office was dominated by the covid pandemic.

It was only February this year Mr Johnson made his first official visit to our region as Prime Minister, meeting patients at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care.

Just months later he was forced out of his position by his Conservative colleagues, with several MPs from our region among those urging him to step down, amid a series of scandals.

Listen to ITV News' What You Need To Know podcast: