NEW PRIME Minister Boris Johnson will be a President Ronald Reagan style figure "busily engaged in the task of cheering us all up" according to one of the people who know him best.

MP for Bournemouth West, Conor Burns, said: "He'll bring an optimism and an energy and dynamism. I think he'll bring a can-do attitude when we've had a government for the past few years concentrating on all the negatives and the dangers and I think he'll bring us back to 'we are Britain, we can do this'."

Mr Burns started working with Mr Johnson two years ago when, he says, it was a "minority sport".

I've worked with him on a daily basis for the last four months and if you'd told me he'd become the leader of the party and Prime Minister with more than half of our MPs and two thirds of the party membership supporting him I would have questioned whether that's likely," he said.

Mr Burns brushed aside fears that rumours of defections and resignations would sour the Boris victory, claiming: "I think there is a great sense of fair play amongst the British people and I think they will want to give the new Prime Minister the space of the summer to see what progress he can make with our European partners, building relationships with the Irish government, and reviewing progress by the autumn."

He confirmed he had spoken by text with Mr Johnson following the victory declaration but refused to disclose what was said and dodged the issue of whether he'd been earmarked for a position in Mr Johnson's government.

"I take a rather old-fashioned view on this and that's if the Prime Minister asks you to do something, you have an obligation to say yes, but I'm not expecting anything and my hands are full enough serving my constituents," he said.

Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Michael Tomlinson said he was feeling 'positive and upbeat and optimistic' and although he hadn't been offered a job but joked: "My phone's on!"

He said having a new leader was 'very exciting' and the result was what the party members and the majority of MPs in parliament wanted.

Defence Minister and MP for Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood has been a prominent critic of a no-deal Brexit, but said he would stay in government and urged his colleagues to get behind the new Tory leader. "It's a duty of every MP to support the prime minister right now," he said.

Local businessman Simon Boyd, managing director of multi-award winning Dorset company REIDsteel, was happy to proclaim his support for the new premier.

Mr Boyd was regional Chairman of Business for Britain South West during the EU Referendum campaign and welcomed Boris Johnson to REIDsteel in Christchurch on the Vote Leave battle bus.

“Bravo for Boris!" he said. “When Boris visited REIDsteel during the Referendum campaign I found him to be intelligent, charismatic and charming. He will bring desperately-needed positivity and energy to Number 10 during a pivotal few months for this country, its people and economy.

“Above all, he must deliver the clean Brexit which he campaigned for in 2016 and for which the British people voted. That means departure from the EU free of the shackles of any kind of customs union, single market or European Court of Justice control.

“Anything less would be a betrayal of the democratic will of the British people, and leave him fatally compromised.

“If this means leaving the European Union on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, so be it.

Mr Johnson beat his rival, Jeremy Hunt, by almost double the amount of votes cast for Mr Hunt following a campaign which saw hustings throughout the UK, as well as in Bournemouth.