Boris Johnson says delaying Article 50 would erode trust in politicians
Boris Johnson warned today that politicians risk losing the electorate's trust if they were to delay Brexit by extending Article 50 beyond 29 March.
In a speech at building machinery giant JCB’s headquarters in Staffordshire this morning, he said: “It's overwhelmingly likely we will get a deal, a good deal – we just won't get this deal."
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“To extend Article 50 now would no nothing but erode trust in politics,” the former foreign secretary added. “It would cause widespread international dismay.”
“The best way forward now is basically to keep what's good in this agreement. We should agree on all sides there should be no hard border and we should take the Irish backstop out.”
“Now is the time to go back to Brussels and demand real change to that backstop. This time we must mean it, so that Britain can get out unilaterally.”
Johnson also insisted the UK would succeed in a no deal scenario.
"I don’t want to pretend there will be no challenges and no changes to cope with. Of course there will be. But I say to all those who believe in the democratic freedoms of this country," he said.
"We are more than up to it. We have got so far, we are almost there, let us not give up now."
JCB chairman, billionaire Conservative peer Lord Anthony Bamford, has said trading on World Trade Organisation rules if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal is “nothing to fear”, despite repeated warnings from industry chiefs that it would be disastrous.
The event, billed as a "wide ranging speech", has by-and-large been interpreted as Johnson's next move in a Conservative party leadership bid.
Johnson refused to say he would back Theresa May if she were to call a snap election. Pressed on the issue, he said: “I think most people in this country feel they have had quite enough elections.”
He has been an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Theresa May’s approach to Brexit, including her proposed deal which parliament voted down in record numbers on Tuesday night.
Today, he said the deal was "kowtowing to Brussels and keeping ourselves tied to the EU apron strings".
May last night wrote to opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn saying it was “impossible” to take a no deal scenario off the table. Corbyn has demanded that she must do this if she wants to have talks with him about the deal.
Taking questions from reporters, Johnson said it was impossible to take no deal off the table "until we have a deal".
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She is due to hold a number of meetings with her top ministers on Friday to discuss her next steps in agreeing a deal with Brussels, her spokeswoman said.
May spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday, and will have further calls with EU leaders over the weekend, she added.