Ahmet Gürhan Kartal
08 June 2018•Update: 09 June 2018
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has caused controversy once again over Brexit when he criticized Prime Minister Theresa May for being “locked in orbit around the EU”.
Johnson is heard in a leaked recording, obtained by Buzzfeed, as saying that the border issue between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is one of the thorniest issues in Brexit negotiations, had been allowed to dictate “the whole of our [Brexit] agenda”.
Johnson said May was "going to go into a phase where we are much more combative with Brussels".
He added: "You've got to face the fact there may now be a meltdown. OK? I don't want anybody to panic during the meltdown. No panic. Pro bono publico, no bloody panic. It's going to be all right in the end."
Underlining that Brexit will be "irreversible", Johnson said it will happen but the "risk is that it will not be the one we want".
"Unless you make the change, unless you have the guts to go for the independent policy, you're never going to get the economic benefits of Brexit. You'll never get the political benefits of Brexit," he added.
Johnson’s remarks came following a “backstop” plan revealed by May earlier this week.
Also, about the U.S. president, Johnson said he was "increasingly admiring" Donald Trump and he was "more and more convinced that there is method in his madness".
He said: "Imagine Trump doing Brexit, 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."
However, Johnson’s remarks caused controversy, prompting some politicians, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Labour Shadow Secretary Emily Thornberry, to urge him to resign.
May though played down the criticism by Johnson, saying the foreign secretary “has strong views on Brexit”.
She said: “These are complex negotiations. Boris has strong views on Brexit but so do I.”
“I want to deliver for the British people, that’s exactly what we are doing as a government and if you look at the process of these negotiations -- nobody ever said it was going to be easy,” May told Channel4 News in Canada where she is attending a G7 summit.
Britain is set to leave the EU in March 2019.
