Europe gives ‘ liar’ Boris a hostile welcome
Finance, justice ministers are top casualties Bank of England keeps interest rates unchanged
July 14: Branding him a liar, a coward or a joker, Europe’s political class, the general public and newspapers greeted Eurosceptic Boris Johnson’s appointment as Britain’s foreign secretary with a chorus of dismay, criticism and mockery.
French foreign minister Jean- Marc Ayrault eschewed the customary diplomatic niceties to ask how a man who had told lies as leader of the Leave campaign in last month’s British EU referendum could be a credible interlocutor. “During the campaign he lied a lot to the British people… I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable,” he said. German foreign minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier had said a day earlier that he was outraged by Britain’s “irresponsible politicians who first lured the country into Brexit, then... Got out, refused to take responsibility, and went off to go and play cricket”. After the June 23 vote to leave EU, Johnson took time off to play cricket and spurned a chance to stand as PM. In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov voiced hopes that “the weightiness of his current position, of course, will certainly prompt a somewhat different rhetoric of a more diplomatic nature”.
Mr Johnson has, in the past, insulted or lampooned a series of world leaders.
Germany news magazine Der Spiegel, was withering in an online commentary headlined, “House of Cards in Britain”: “Those who thought the shamelessness with which Britain’s political class play their power games could not be surpassed were disabused of that notion yesterday”. More on Page 9
London, July 14: New Prime Minister Theresa May showed a ruthless streak on Thursday in building a Cabinet to lead Britain’s exit from the European Union, while her finance minister said he would do whatever was necessary to restore confidence in the economy.
A day after replacing David Cameron, Ms May moved to impose her authority by axing a handful of prominent ministers including justice secretary Michael Gove, a leading Brexit campaigner who had staged his own bid for Prime Minister.
Her most contentious appointment is foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who compared the EU’s aims to those of Hitler and Napoleon during the campaign leading up to Britain’s vote last month to quit the 28- nation bloc.
After filling half- adozen of the top jobs Wednesday, Ms May made new appointments on Thursday, including justice secretary Liz Truss and education secretary Justine Greening.
She also cleared out rivals, firing stalwarts of David Cameron’s outgoing government including culture secretary John Whittingdale, education secretary Nicky Morgan and — most significantly — justice secretary Michael Gove, her onetime competitor for the job of Conservative leader.
Mr Gove led the “Leave” side in Britain’s EU referendum
‘ The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours. We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives,’ Prime Minister May said
battle alongside former London mayor, then betrayed him by making a bid for Conservative leadership — a job Mr Johnson had long sought.
Three weeks after the referendum, Ms May’s new government faces the formidably complex task of extricating Britain from the EU — itself reeling from the shock of Brexit — while trying to protect the economy from feared disruption to confidence, trade and investment.
New finance minister Philip Hammond signalled he would take a less aggressive approach to cutting the budget deficit than his predecessor George Osborne.
Lesser- known than Johnson but at least as important to Britain’s future is David Davis, the cumbersomely titled Secretary of state for exiting the European Union.
Mr Davis, a veteran legisalator who has twice run for the Conservative leadership, is one of the staunchest euroskeptics in British politics.