Comparing Boris Johnson and Donald Trump 'isn't a fair comparison', according to the writer of a new book on the British prime minister.
Tom Bower says Mr Johnson "breaks every rule, and gets away with it" - but isn't an "extremist" like the outgoing US president.
Mr Bower has released a new book entitled Boris Johnson: The Gambler - painting Mr Johnson as 'a loner, a lover and a leader'.
Speaking to The Pat Kenny Show, Mr Bower suggested the Conservative leader is an 'exceptional' figure within contemporary politics.
He said: "Every time people push him down because of his conduct - whether it’s adultery, lying or whatever - he pops up again.
“He’s always had his eyes on Downing Street… nobody would have thought he had a chance, but then suddenly he’s there because he’s the only man left standing."
While the Conservative leader is often considered a 'populist' like Donald Trump, Mr Bower argued that all politicians are populists - as at the end of the day they all need votes.
He observed: “The only thing [the two men] have in common is that they have blonde hair and both like women. And both have successfully gotten to the highest office in their countries.
“Boris is an intellectual… he’s a reasonable man. He is not an extremist like Trump. I think the comparison just falls away.”
He says he's concluded that in many ways Mr Johnson is a “loner” - a "burden" that can often leave him out of touch with even his own MPs.
He argued that the British leader is someone genuinely interested in "helping the underdog" - including children who haven't had the same educational opportunities as he has - but that his policy plans have been 'derailed' by the COVID-19 crisis.
Dominic Cummings
For many, Dominic Cummings was seen as Johnson's 'svengali' - someone instrumental in driving the prime minister's agenda behind the scenes.
Mr Bower believes the aide was important to the prime minister's work, but that Mr Cumming's dramatic departure from Downing Street last month perhaps came a little later than it should have.
He argued: “Every prime minister and politician needs a svengali… I don’t think politicians can survive without the sort of people like Cummings, especially when faced with all those difficulties.
"[Johnson] used Cummings to very good effect - first of all getting Brexit through the Commons, and secondly persuading Jeremy Corbyn to agree to an election which [the Tories] then won with a massive majority… having done that, Cummings was clearly superfluous in some ways, and a negative and bad influence."
Of course, Brexit is very much Mr Johnson's signature policy - and, over four years after the referendum, EU and UK negotiators are working frantically to agree a trade deal before the end of the month.
Mr Bower believes a deal will eventually be reached.
He said: “My view is he’ll get a deal in the end. He’s just following the referendum result… the majority of electors voted for it. Even remainers like me must accept it.
“In the end, is [Brexit] going to be failure? We don’t know. That we’ll only know in five years - at least.”
