Share

UK parliament ready to support no-deal Brexit, Johnson argues

Boris Johnson said he believed the British Parliament would now support a no-deal Brexit, even as senior figures in his Conservative Party warned they had the numbers to stop him if he tried to push one through.

Johnson, a former foreign secretary, and the favourite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister used a BBC interview to argue that the drubbings that both his Conservative Party and opposition Labour Party received in the European elections had left members of Parliament determined to get Brexit done.

“I think Parliament now understands that the British people want us to come out,” Johnson said. “And I think that MPs on both sides of the House also understand that they will face mortal retribution from the electorate unless we get on and do it.”

Johnson, who has been criticised for shunning media interviews and debates, will give another interview on Tuesday on LBC radio at 9:30 am His rival Jeremy Hunt called him a coward on Monday for avoiding scrutiny.

Johnson said his Brexit strategy is to use the threat of no-deal to persuade the European Union to remove the controversial Irish border backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement that May negotiated. Crucial to that is convincing the EU, which has said it won’t move on either of these points, that Britain is serious about a no-deal.

Strategy divide

Johnson’s problem is that many MPs believe a no-deal Brexit can be stopped. Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood earlier told the BBC that he was certain those who oppose a no-deal Brexit had the numbers. “I think a dozen or so members of Parliament would be on our side, would be voting against supporting a no deal, and that would include ministers as well as backbenchers,” he said.

Earlier, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke went further, saying he’d be willing to vote against the government in a confidence vote if that was necessary to stop a no-deal Brexit.

And while Johnson is right that the EU elections are leading Labour to shift its position, it might not be in the direction that he’s counting on. Earlier Monday, the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, signalled another move toward a full commitment to a second referendum, twice telling May it was the best course.

Although a handful of Labour MPs have been willing to rebel against their party line to back May’s Brexit deal, they say persuading them to back a no-deal departure would be harder, especially if the salesman were Johnson.

Tax cuts

The focus of Johnson’s campaign is Brexit, but he’s also made promises to cut taxes. A report on Tuesday by the Institute for Fiscal Studies said his proposals to raise tax thresholds would cost £20bn, and benefit higher earners most.

After a weekend of difficult headlines about his private life after police were called to his partner’s London apartment early Friday morning, Johnson said he would never discuss his private life. He left his second wife last year and has a long history of extra-marital affairs.

Johnson said his plan for his first day in office if he became prime minister would be to “make sure that we have a plan that will convince our European friends and partners that we are absolutely serious about coming out.”

He has built his campaign around a commitment to get Britain out of the EU by October 31, but in his limited public appearances, he has wobbled on the firmness of that pledge. Indeed, some of his supporters have left his office convinced he won’t go for a no-deal Brexit.

'Getting it done'

On Sunday the group of Conservatives committed to the hardest Brexit, who had been backing Johnson, fired a warning shot by reactivating their online “Stand Up For Brexit” campaign.

While they may be gratified by his return to a firm line on October 31, it’s possible they’ll be less happy with Johnson’s comment that “you’re going to need some kind of agreement,” including an implementation period. The interview suggested that, although Johnson says May’s deal is “dead,” he plans to use a lot of it.

Johnson said he was sure that the difficulty of the Irish border could be dealt with technology. “What’s changed now is that there is a real positive energy about getting it done,” he said.

As the front-runner, Johnson has thus far kept his exposure to the bare minimum. He’s refused to take part in at least two television debates and avoided interviews. That led his rival for the job, Jeremy Hunt - the current foreign secretary - to accuse him of trying to "slink" into office by the "back door."

Hunt will on Tuesday pledged to increase Britain’s defence budget to 2.5% of GDP, up from 2%, by 2024. He’ll say this will keep the UK as a “first-rank military power,” according to his office.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.89
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.87
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders