Duncan Smith was removed from his position in November 2003 and replaced by Michael Howard; Howard deemed Johnson to be the most popular Conservative politician with the electorate and appointed him vice-chairman of the party, responsible for overseeing its electoral campaign.
邓肯·史密斯在2003年11月被罢免，迈克尔·霍华德取而代之；霍华德认为约翰逊是最受欢迎的保守党政客和民选官员，任命他为保守党副主席，负责监督党的竞选活动。