UK’S Johnson warns of Brexit ‘meltdown’

LONDON: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson risked a fresh Brexit row on Friday after being secretly recorded predicting a “meltdown” in the negotiations, accusing elements of the government of blocking the process and implying US President Donald Trump might handle it better.

Britain’s free-wheeling top diplomat also mused about relations with Russia and China — and suggested there was “method in the madness” of Trump’s approach to politics.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman refused to comment directly on the leaked remarks, made earlier this week to Conservative activists and revealed by Buzzfeed News.

But she said the premier “of course” had confidence in her foreign minister.

In his latest indiscreet remarks, Johnson said the government was reaching a phase in negotiations “where we are much more combative with Brussels”.

“You’ve got to face the fact there may now be a meltdown,” he said, ahead of a key EU summit at the end of June.

He added, according to further quotes revealed in The Times: “Take the fight to the enemy — absolutely right. We need to — and we will.’’

Johnson revealed he was “increasingly admiring of Donald Trump... I have become more and more convinced that there is method in his madness”. “Imagine Trump doing Brexit,” he added.

“He’d go in bloody hard... There’d be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos. Everyone would think he’d gone mad. “But actually you might get somewhere. It’s a very, very good thought.”

Johnson, a leading campaigner for Brexit, said there was a risk that Britain’s withdrawal “will not be the one we want”.

He said the establishment — in particular the Treasury, led by Finance Minister Philip Hammond — was seeking to ensure that Brexit “does as little change as possible”. Britain risked remaining “locked in orbit around the EU, in the customs union, and to a large extent still in the single market”.

In a veiled criticism of May’s approach, he said: “Unless you have the guts to go for the independent (trade) policy, you’re never going to get the economic benefits of Brexit.”

May’s spokeswoman conceded