British Prime Minister Theresa May’s strategy to leave the EU will take the country to a “miserable limbo,” says outgoing Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
Johnson made the comment in his resignation speech at the parliament on Wednesday.
“We have much less scope to do free trade deals, as the Chequers paper actually acknowledges, and which we should all frankly acknowledge because if we pretend otherwise we continue to make the fatal mistake of underestimating the intelligence of the public – saying one thing to the EU about what we are doing and then saying another thing to the electorate,” he said.
Johnson further dismissed the idea of a “hard border” in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.
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“No one on either side of this house or anywhere wants a hard border. You couldn’t construct one if you tried but there certainly can be different rules north and south of the border to reflect the fact that there are two different jurisdictions, in fact there already are,” he continued. “It is absolute nonsense to imagine, as I fear some of my colleagues do, that we can somehow afford to make a botched treaty now, and then break and reset the bone later on. Because we have seen, even in these talks, how the supposedly provisional becomes eternal.”
Read my personal statement to the House of Commons this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/Zy6klFWQsr
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 18, 2018
Calling for unity in the country, the politician also expressed hope that the country “can deliver a great Brexit.”
“There is time. And if the prime minister can fix that vision once again before us then I believe she can deliver a great Brexit for Britain, with a positive, self-confident approach that will unite this party, unite this house and unite this country as well,” he added.