This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/oct/01/brexit-latest-news-boris-johnson-conservative-conference-interviewed-as-ireland-dismisses-uk-border-plan-as-non-starter-live-news

The article has changed 24 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Brexit: Boris Johnson dismisses leaked UK border plan rejected by Dublin as out-of-date - live news Brexit: Boris Johnson dismisses leaked UK border plan rejected by Dublin as out-of-date - live news
(32 minutes later)
Here are the main points from Boris Johnson’s three broadcast interviews this morning.
Johnson played down the row generated by the leak of UK plans for customs clearance sites in Northern Ireland and Ireland, away from the border, by saying these particular proposals were out-of-date. (See 8.09am.) He said there were “very good reasons” why it would not be a good idea just to move border checks away from the border. But he said it was a “reality” that some checks would be needed to create a “single customs territory” for the UK once it leaves the EU. Johnson would not say exactly what the UK was proposing as an alternative to the backstop, but he said the plans would be presented to the EU very soon.
He implied that he might know by the weekend whether or not a deal with the EU will be achievable. He was asked about a story saying this in the Financial Times (paywall). It says:
Mr Johnson’s allies say they expect Britain to submit to Brussels its formal proposals for a Brexit deal — in legal text — after the prime minister closes the Conservative party conference in Manchester.
In his speech to party activists, the prime minister is expected to declare the controversial “Irish backstop” dead, challenging the EU to accept the new British proposal or face the prospect of a disorderly no-deal Brexit.
“By the end of the week everyone will know whether a deal is possible,” said one ally. One cabinet minister said: “If the EU starts to leak and brief against us, that would be a very bad sign.”
Asked about this story, Johnson did not reject its premise. He replied:
What we will be doing is giving our friends a proposal, we think it’s a good proposal. Clearly, if there is no way of getting it over the line from their point of view, we will have to live with that.
He said that he had not asked EU countries to veto a Brexit extension. At the weekend he fuelled speculation that this was his strategy by refusing to say whether or not he had done this. Today, asked directly if he was asking EU leaders to refuse an article 50 extension, as the Times is reporting, he replied:
We haven’t. In truth, we have not made any such request.
But Johnson did not rule out making such a request in future.
He implied that the EU would regret keeping the UK in. Asked directly if the UK was threatening to cause trouble if forced to remain a member, he did not reject the idea, and said that the EU was doing things that were not in the interests of the UK. (See 8.21am.)
He claimed that misconduct allegations against him were being raised now as part of a bid to frustrated Brexit. Asked about the Jennifer Arcuri and Charlotte Edwardes allegations, and why they were surfacing now, he replied:
I think there’s a very good reason, and that is that I’ve been tasked one way or the other to get Brexit done by October 31. And there are quite a lot of well-meaning and highly intelligent people who basically think that that would be something they don’t want to see, and I think that there is a concerted effort now to frustrate Brexit.
At another point he said:
You asked me about why is all this shot and shell raining down on the government - I think it is because we’re going to get on and deliver Brexit by October 31.
He claimed that Sadiq Khan, the current Labour mayor of London, was involved in keeping the Arcuri story in the news.
He said that it was “very sad” that Charlotte Edwardes had accused him of groping her at a lunch 20 years ago. Commenting on her allegation, he said:
I’ve said what I’ve said about that. They are not true. It’s obviously very sad that someone should make such allegations - they are not true.
He rejected claims he had a “women problem”, claiming that he had been “a big champion of women” as London mayor and as foreign secretary.
He said he had never heard of the BBC presenter Naga Munchetty, who has been at the centre of major row over complaints that her comment about Donald Trump using racist language breached editorial guidelines. This story has been headline news, on the BBC and elsewhere, for day. But when Johnson was asked if he thought Munchetty had done anything wrong, he replied:
I am so sorry, I have never heard of her.
When the LBC presenter Nick Ferrari expressed astonishment at this, Johnson went on:
You’re going to have to forgive me. I should know about Naga Munchetty.
He described a claim by his sister Rachel that he was being influenced by hedge fund donors who stood to gain millions from a no-deal Brexit as “absolute nonsense”.
He revived suggestions that the MPs who drafted the Benn Act designed to stop a no-deal Brexit on 31 October may have had foreign help. Asked about the decision by unnamed Number 10 sources to accuse them of “collusion”, he said:
I think there is a legitimate question to be asked about the generation of this SO24 legislation.It is a very interesting situation. We have bills and an act - the so-called Surrender Act - that I’m afraid has a massive consequence for the people and economy of this country were it to be effected.
We have no knowledge of how it was produced. It is not subject to normal parliamentary scrutiny. No-one knows by whose advice or legal advice it was drawn up.
He claimed that he was still the “generous-hearted ... one nation Tory” he was when he was London mayor. When it was put to him that many of his previous supporters were alarmed by how he seemed to have changed as a politician since becoming PM, he replied:
I say to all those who wish to see a return of the old generous-hearted, loving mayor of London and all the rest of it, that person has not gone away. I am a one-nation Tory.
But we are in a position where the only way we can take this country forward and unite our country again is to get Brexit done. That’s what we need to do.
He said he was a “bus fanatic”.
From the Times’s Matt ChorleyFrom the Times’s Matt Chorley
Given his Uxbridge majority, perhaps it is not a surprise that Boris Johnson is keen to get a safe seat when he can. No10 insisted the PM would not sit on BBC Breakfast's wobbly bar stools*, and a high-backed chair had to be found pic.twitter.com/mLv8uD7k77Given his Uxbridge majority, perhaps it is not a surprise that Boris Johnson is keen to get a safe seat when he can. No10 insisted the PM would not sit on BBC Breakfast's wobbly bar stools*, and a high-backed chair had to be found pic.twitter.com/mLv8uD7k77
Here is Boris Johnson on the set of Today.Here is Boris Johnson on the set of Today.
Prime Minister ⁦@BorisJohnson⁩ says the Government is working “flat out” to get a deal on Brexit. “We will work very very hard to get this done”. #r4today pic.twitter.com/GKc0cKg3SFPrime Minister ⁦@BorisJohnson⁩ says the Government is working “flat out” to get a deal on Brexit. “We will work very very hard to get this done”. #r4today pic.twitter.com/GKc0cKg3SF
Q: Do you regret any of the language you have used?Q: Do you regret any of the language you have used?
Johnson says he has to recognise that people can take offence.Johnson says he has to recognise that people can take offence.
Q: Has your partner, Carrie Symonds, suggested you tone it down a bit?Q: Has your partner, Carrie Symonds, suggested you tone it down a bit?
No, says Johnson.No, says Johnson.
He says he persists in thinking the surrender act is an appropriate term for the Benn Act. It gives the EU the power to decide how long the UK would stay in the EU.He says he persists in thinking the surrender act is an appropriate term for the Benn Act. It gives the EU the power to decide how long the UK would stay in the EU.
(Actually, it doesn’t. See here, the second bullet point.)(Actually, it doesn’t. See here, the second bullet point.)
And that’s it.And that’s it.
I will post a summary of the key points from all these interviews shortly.I will post a summary of the key points from all these interviews shortly.
Johnson is now back to buses, saying they can make a huge difference to people’s lives.Johnson is now back to buses, saying they can make a huge difference to people’s lives.
He wants people to be able to use contactless payments on buses across the UK.He wants people to be able to use contactless payments on buses across the UK.
Ferrari quotes some comments from David Cameron’s book about Johnson: “paranoid ... massive irritation ... full of jealousies that influenced his behaviour.”Ferrari quotes some comments from David Cameron’s book about Johnson: “paranoid ... massive irritation ... full of jealousies that influenced his behaviour.”
Johnson says he has had his up and downs in his relationship with Cameron. He says he has not read Cameron’s book.Johnson says he has had his up and downs in his relationship with Cameron. He says he has not read Cameron’s book.
Q: Did you tell David Cameron that Brexit would be crushed like a toad?Q: Did you tell David Cameron that Brexit would be crushed like a toad?
Johnson says he won’t comment on private conversations.Johnson says he won’t comment on private conversations.
Q: So it is true.Q: So it is true.
Q: What was your relationship with Jennifer Arcuri?Q: What was your relationship with Jennifer Arcuri?
Johnson claims this story is being pushed by the current mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. He says Khan has let knife crime out of control.Johnson claims this story is being pushed by the current mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. He says Khan has let knife crime out of control.
Q: Did you behave improperly with Charlotte Edwardes?Q: Did you behave improperly with Charlotte Edwardes?
No, says Johnson.No, says Johnson.
Q: Matt Hancock says he believes Edwardes. What do you say about that?Q: Matt Hancock says he believes Edwardes. What do you say about that?
Johnson says he is saying what he has to say.Johnson says he is saying what he has to say.
Q: Why are these stories coming out?Q: Why are these stories coming out?
Johnson says some intelligent people want to block Brexit. There is a “concerted effort” to stop it happening, he says.Johnson says some intelligent people want to block Brexit. There is a “concerted effort” to stop it happening, he says.
Johnson suggests misconduct allegations against him are being raised as part of an effort to block Brexit.Johnson suggests misconduct allegations against him are being raised as part of an effort to block Brexit.
Q: Are you saying these allegations are politically motivated?Q: Are you saying these allegations are politically motivated?
Johnson says he is getting a lot of “shot and shell” because he is trying to deliver Brexit.Johnson says he is getting a lot of “shot and shell” because he is trying to deliver Brexit.
And it may be an attempt to distract from his domestic agenda, he says.And it may be an attempt to distract from his domestic agenda, he says.
Q: Your sister says you are backed by currency speculators who will benefit from a no-deal Brexit.Q: Your sister says you are backed by currency speculators who will benefit from a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson says that claim is wrong. But he does not want to say more about his sister.Johnson says that claim is wrong. But he does not want to say more about his sister.
Johnson says he does not know how Naga Munchetty is, or what the story about her being reprimanded by the BBC was all about.Johnson says he does not know how Naga Munchetty is, or what the story about her being reprimanded by the BBC was all about.
Q: Have you apologised to the Queen for the unlawful prorogation?
Johnson says it would be wrong for him to comment on his conversations with the Queen.
Q; Will you prorogue parliament again?
Johnson says, to have a Queen’s speech, it is necessary to prorogue. He says he will have to check the judgment to see what is possible, but he thinks prorogation is possible. He says there will be a Queen’s speech.
Johnson says Queen’s speech will go ahead.
Nick Ferrari is now interviewing Boris Johnson on LBC.
Q: Are you likely to die in a ditch?
I hope not, says Johnson. He says he wants to get Brexit done.
Q: The FT says by the weekend you will know if the EU are going to accept your deal.
Johnson accepts that. But he says he hopes the EU will see some merit in the UK plan when they see it shortly.
Johnson accepts that it will be clear within days whether or not a deal is possible.
Q: Have you got a women problem?
Johnson says he has always been a champion of women in every organisation he has run - like City Hall and the Foreign Office.
As foreign secretary, he promoted education for girls.
Q: What are you saying about the Charlotte Edwardes’ allegation?
Johnson says he is not minimising the importance of matters like this. But this allegation is not true, he says.
Q: People who used to admire you think you have changed. Are you going to carry on like this?
Johnson says, the way he sees it, he has been tasked by the British people with delivering Brexit. It is a difficult job. Many people want to prevent this. But it has to be done.
All those who want to see the return of the old, generous-hearted mayor of London - that person has not gone away. He is a one nation Conservative, he says. But he says the only way to unite the country is to get Brexit done.
Johnson claims he remains at heart the “generous-hearted” Tory he was when he was mayor of London.
And that’s it. The interview is over.
Johnson makes the point about being a “bus fanatic”.
Q: During the referendum you admitted that a no-deal Brexit would hit the economy. The OBR says it will be £30bn a year. So you won’t be able to afford this hospital building programme.
Johnson says the money is there.
In 10 years’ time there will be 40 new hospitals.
Q; But you are just releasing £100m for these now. The money won’t be there if there is a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson says the money is there.
Johnson claims a no-deal Brexit would not derail his planned hospital building programme.
Q: How did you feel when your sister Rachel criticised the language you used about your critics?
Johnson says disagrees with some family members on Brexit.
Q: This is not about Brexit. This is about your language. Number 10 has accused your critics of “foreign collusion”.
Johnson says it is worth asking how that “surrender act” came about. We have no knowledge of how that bill was produced. It was not subject to normal parliamentary processes.
Q: So it may be produced by foreign government?
Johnson says he personally has not used the word “collaborators”.
Q: You said collaborating.
Johnson says there are different connotations to different words.
He says no one knows how this bill was produced.
Johnson says staying in would cost £1bn a month.
Robinson says that figure is disputed - like his £350m a week figure on the Vote Leave bus.
Johnson says that figure would be higher now.
Q: Are you asking EU leaders to rule out a Brexit extension?
Johnson says he has not made any such request.
But he says he thinks EU leaders do want this sorted.
Q: You told Andrew Marr that the EU would not want the UK to stay as a “truculent” member. Are you threatening bad behaviour if we stay?
Johnson says people want to leave. He says he does not think any purpose is achieved by keeping the UK in against its will.
Q: Dominic Raab says we won’t “play nice” if we stay. Are you threatening to muck things up if kept in?
Johnson says the UK is doing things that are not in the interests of the UK.
Q: So you will veto things they want?
Johnson says the EU see the UK as a great power. We have spent three years arguing about leaving. They want to see us leaving, and a positive relationship with us. He goes on:
I am a pro-European. I actually love Europe.
Q: There are people who say you don’t want a deal. And look where your money comes from. Your donors do not want a deal?
Johnson says this is the inverse of reality. He wants a deal. But there are limits. There is a limit to how much a sovereign country can compromise on customs.
On sanitary and phytosanitary plans for Ireland, he has already moved “a long way”.
He says he does not think people in the UK have recognised quite how much the UK has moved on this.
Johnson claims UK has already compromised more on backstop than people realise.
Nick Robinson is interviewing Boris Johnson on Today.
Q: Will you be ringing EU leaders today about your plans?
Johnson says he has been making calls.
He has seen some leaked plans, possibly leaked by Brussels, that are not quite right.
Q: So the report about having customs clearances sites away from the border are not true?
Johnson says that is correct.
It would not make sense to have a new border away from the border.
Q: But people say there have to be checks somewhere?
Johnson says he accepts that.
He says the UK is coming up to the point of decision.
A single, united country must have its own customs territory.
But there are lots of ways of doing this. There are ways of protecting the customs area.
Robinson says Johnson can come back and discuss his plans when they are published. Johnson does not reject the idea.