Britain's Boris Johnson snubs Trump by saying he's too busy to meet with him

On Tuesday, Business Insider reported that Boris Johnson, a prominent member of the British Parliament and former foreign secretary, has snubbed a request to meet with President Donald Trump.

Trump and Johnson conversed on the phone and agreed to meet at a later date. However, Johnson declined Trump's request to meet him during his current state visit to the United Kingdom, saying that he was too busy.

Johnson, a member of the Conservative Party, is widely considered to be a likely candidate to replace outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May, who has announced her intention to resign after a disastrous series of blunders, including the repeated failure to get Parliament to approve the Brexit deal she negotiated with the European Union.

It is possible that Johnson simply doesn't want to associate with a foreign politician who is utterly toxic in the United Kingdom during a leadership contest — Trump polls at just 21 percent in Britain, and his visit has been met with furious protests.

In many ways, Johnson and Trump are natural allies. Johnson is a brash, controversial right-wing populist and a strong supporter of Brexit. Trump, for his part, has praised Johnson as a "very good guy" and a "friend" — which would appear to be an endorsement of Johnson for prime minister, although he insists he is not formally endorsing anyone yet.