Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Borexit speech
Johnson savages May in resignation rant as she begs rebels to back her
BORIS Johnson yesterday savaged Theresa May for dithering over Brexit and branded her blueprint for Britain a “disaster”.
The former Foreign Secretary blasted the Prime Minister’s plan as “miserable” in his first speech after resigning from the Cabinet.
He also accused Mrs May of misleading voters about her intentions and putting the UK “in limbo”.
And he denounced her plan agreed at Chequers as a “Brexit in name only” in his 12-minute statement.
He said Mrs May and her advisors “haven’t even tried” to make the case for a free trade agreement.
But he said: “We must try now because we will not get another chance to do it right.”
Mr Johnson said he could not accept the Brexit vision Mrs May laid out at Chequers last week.
Mr Johnson said: “Let us again aim explicitly for that glorious vision of Lancaster House – a strong, independent self-governing Britain that is genuinely open to the world.
“Not the democratic disaster of ongoing harmonisation with no way out and no say for the UK.”
Mr Johnson’s speech was hailed by prominent Brexiteer Tories including influential Jacob Rees-mogg.
But Mr Johnson was mocked by pro-eu MPS, with some accusing him of backing down from a full-blooded assault on Mrs May.
Labour’s David Lammy called the speech “dreary” and selfimportant” and Wes Streeting described it as a “damp squib”.
The PM did not hear Mr Johnson’s statement as she was facing MPS on the Commons Liaison Committee.
She later endured a show- down with 300 Tory MPS on the influential 1922 Committee in which she hoped to persuade rebels not to oust her before the summer recess. MP Simon Clarke announced afterwards that he had withdrawn a letter of no confidence he submitted just eight days earlier. He said it was because of “the threat from a Corbyn government or no Brexit at all”. THERESA May will today to make her first visit to the Irish border since the Brexit referendum.
Tomorrow she will deliver a speech in Belfast focusing on how her vision will impact Northern Ireland. She said: “I look forward to hearing views from businesses on the border on our departure from the European Union.”