‘It’s not about Boris’ past – it’s where he’s going that counts’
In his latest Martin Shipton Meets podcast, our chief reporter talks to Welsh Conservative Assembly leader Paul Davies about Boris Johnson’s trustworthiness – and why he has changed his mind about EU membership
FALSE stories made up by Boris Johnson when he was a journalist are not of importance and what matters is what he does in future, according to Paul Davies, the Welsh Conservative leader at the National Assembly.
Asked during a Martin Shipton Meets podcast whether he trusted Mr Johnson, Mr Davies said: “Of course I trust Boris Johnson. He has now been elected the leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister.”
Then asked whether he knew about Mr Johnson’s history, the Welsh Tory leader said: “I know a little bit about his history. But what’s important is not where he’s come from, not what he’s said in the past. It’s where he’s going – that’s what’s important.”
When it was put to Mr Davies that when Mr Johnson was a journalist working for the Daily Telegraph in Brussels in the early 1990s he gained a very bad reputation for making up stories, he responded: “No – I don’t know what you’re referring to. I don’t know that – no.”
Mr Davies then had read to him extracts from a book called Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe, in which, before the 2016 referendum, former Labour Minister for Europe Denis MacShane catalogued a series of false news stories written by Mr Johnson aimed at denigrating the EU.
These included a non-existent plan by the European Commission to blow up its headquarters building because of an asbestos problem, and a front page story in the Sunday Telegraph falsely alleging that the then President of the European Commission Jacques Delors intended to remove member states’ vetoing rights.
Asked whether a man who made up stories about the EU was suitable to be Prime Minister, Mr Davies said: “Look, I’ve made it absolutely clear over the last few weeks that some of the comments he has made in the past have been unacceptable. However, I believe that he has genuinely apologised for some of those comments. And what’s important now is what he does as Prime Minister and as leader of this country. That’s what’s of importance – not what he’s done before. It’s what he does now that’s important.”
Asked why he had backed a Remain vote in the 2016 EU referendum, Mr Davies said: “I came to the conclusion that it would be generally good for the economy, and if you look back at European history, of course, the European Union was really formed because of security purposes, to prevent wars for example.
“And I think during the referendum not enough of that was talked about, if I’m absolutely honest. Nobody mentioned why it was actually formed, why it was put together in the first place.
“So yes, I came to the conclusion
that probably at that time it was best to remain in the EU. However, people have made a decision now to leave the EU – the people of Wales and indeed the people of the EU – have made that decision, and we’ve got to respect their wishes.”
Asked whether he thought the reason Britain should come out of the EU was simply because of the result of the referendum, or whether he had had a Damascene conversion to the view that Britain would be better off, against the advice of virtually all economists, Mr Davies responded: “Nobody knows what’s going to happen in the future, as far as our economy is concerned. But I believe in democracy, and people have made the decision to actually leave the EU, and we must follow through on their wishes, we must respect their wishes. And that’s why we have to leave the EU – because that’s what the people of Wales and the people of Britain have decided to do.”
When it was pointed out to him that he wasn’t saying the UK would be economically better off outside the EU, Mr Davies said: “Nobody knows what’s going to happen so far as the economy is concerned. But we’ve got to be positive as well in our outlook. Whatever happens, we’ve got to be very, very positive going forward, and we’ve got to make sure that we have a strong economy going forward. And that’s why I’m a Conservative, because I believe in supporting businesses, because it’s businesses that create the jobs that creates the wealth that actually pays for our vital public services. But no one knows what’s going to happen in the future. What governments can do is just try and create the conditions to make sure that businesses can thrive in future.”
Asked whether he thought it had been to the advantage of the UK to be in the single market and the customs union, Mr Davies said: “Well of course there have been advantages in that, and commentators have over the years told us what those advantages are. But the issue now is that people have decided to leave the EU and I am a democrat, I believe in democracy, and therefore that’s why we’ve got to respect the wishes of the people.”
Responding to the point that many believed a no-deal Brexit would be cataclysmic for the economy, with many firms already saying they would leave the UK if that happened, and some already making plans to do so, Mr Davies said: “I’ve made it quite clear that we should leave the EU with a deal. It’s definitely in our interests to do that. I hope we leave the EU with a deal. That’s why I supported [Theresa May’s] deal over the last six months – because that was the right way of actually leaving the EU, in an orderly fashion. And who knows what’s going to happen when we leave the EU. Nobody can predict what the economy’s going to be like in three, six, 12 months’ time.”
Asked whether he was concerned about predictions of food and medicine shortages in the event of a no-deal Brexit from authorities like the UK Government, Mr Davies said: “We’ve heard predictions before, mind, haven’t we, and those predictions haven’t come true. What is important is that we actually do leave the EU, because we have to respect the wishes of the people. But we’ve got to leave the EU in an orderly fashion.”
On whether he supported Boris Johnson’s pledge to leave the EU with or without a deal on October 31, Mr Davies said: “I support the course of action in that no deal should remain on the table because that is a good bargaining chip. But Boris Johnson has also said that his preferred choice is actually leaving the EU with a deal. He has made that absolutely clear, and of course he will now be negotiating with the EU to leave with a deal.”
Asked whether he thought the EU would be open to a change in the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, Mr Davies said: “Well we’ll have to wait and see. I would have thought that the EU would want to talk to a new Prime Minister.”