Boris Johnson says voting for new Brexit deal will be hard
BORIS Johnson, who led the UK out of the European Union and still remains popular within the governing party, said he will struggle to support a revised Brexit deal seen as key to mending ties with the country’s biggest trading partner.
“I’m going to find it very difficult to vote for something like this myself because I believed that we should have done something different no matter how much plaster came off the ceiling in Brussels,” the former leader told the Global Soft Power Summit in London on Thursday (Mar 2).
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is trying to garner support for his accord to reset the fractious relationship with the EU. As the most high-profile pro-Brexit politician and a hero to some factions of the Conservative Party, Johnson’s opinion could still influence any potential rebellion against the deal.
There’s also no love lost for Sunak, whose resignation as chancellor of the exchequer last July precipitated Johnson’s downfall as prime minister. In the run-up to Sunak’s announcement of the Brexit deal on Monday, Johnson had refused to back his efforts, instead pointing to his agreement as the “best way forward” to resolve the post-Brexit standoff.
Sunak ditched Johnson’s flagship Bill, which would have unilaterally ripped up parts of the current Brexit arrangements with the EU. So far, his revisions pertaining to Northern Ireland have been well-received by Tory members of Parliament, including some ardent Brexit supporters.
Johnson conceded that the prevailing wind was behind Sunak. “It is clear that this is where people are now,” he told the audience in London. “People want to move on. I get that.”
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
A minority grouping of Conservative MPs in the European Research Group who are currently considering whether to back the prime minister. ERG Chairman Mark Francois said on Tuesday it could take at least two weeks for the group to go through it “with an extremely fine tooth comb.”
It’s unclear how much power the ERG can wield. Some in the group estimate their numbers at around 100 Conservative MPs, though others put the caucus at under 20 and say their ability to organise has diminished since the height of the Brexit battles in the House of Commons.
Sunak is likely to be able to steer his deal through a planned parliamentary vote because he has the support of the main opposition Labour Party.
The UK premier is also waiting to see whether skeptical members of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland back his new agreement with the EU. Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the DUP, cautiously welcomed Sunak’s deal on Monday. He said, though, that his party needs more time to study it, and that some issues remain.
Johnson also said the UK should be looking at cutting corporation tax rates to Irish levels or lower. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is facing calls from businesses and lawmakers to delay or scrap a planned increase to 25 per cent from 19 per cent. “There is no point in this exercise if you don’t do things differently,” Johnson said. “We should dare to be different on the economy.” BLOOMBERG
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
