No-deal Brexit ‘EU’s fault’: Boris

BORIS Johnson, the frontrunner to be Britain’s next prime minister, suggested the EU would bear some responsibility if he took his country out of the bloc without a deal.

The former London mayor has based his campaign to replace Theresa May on a promise to deliver Brexit as planned on October 31, with or without an agreement with Brussels.

In a final campaign event in London ahead of the announcement of the winner next week, Mr Johnson said that he would seek to negotiate new exit terms but that if the EU refused to be flexible “then obviously we have no choice but to get ready to come out on different terms”.

EU leaders have repeatedly said they will not renegotiate the divorce text they struck with Mrs May last year, even though it has been rejected by British politicians three times.

But Mr Johnson (pictured) insists he will try, notably by removing the controversial “backstop” plan to keep open the border with Ireland.

Mrs May is stepping down after failing to get her divorce deal through Parliament, an effort that forced her to delay Brexit twice.

Her successor, chosen by about 160,000 members of the ruling Conservatives in a post- al ballot, will be named party y leader on July 23 and auto- matically become prime minis- ter the following day.

Many Tory members have e already voted, and polls sug- gest a win for Mr Johnson.

Mrs May earlier said she de-plored the trend towards “ab-solutism” in politics around thee world, and urged her successor to compromise to get a Brexit deal.

“Whatever path we take must be sustainable for the long-term, so that delivering Brexit brings our country back together. That has to mean some compromise,” she said.