British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson, a leading pro-Brexit campaigner, has told at least four EU ambassadors that he personally favors free movement with the bloc, Sky News said on Wednesday.
The remarks are “incendiary,” as they imply that the nation’s top diplomat and a prominent “Leave” campaigner is saying one thing in public and the opposite in private, it said.
Sky quoted four ambassadors as saying Johnson privately told them he supports freedom of movement, a key point of contention in Britain’s divorce from the EU.
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“Boris Johnson has been openly telling us that he is personally in favor of free movement,” one diplomat was quoted as saying.
All the sources spoke on condition of anonymity, the report said.
The view was backed by another EU ambassador quoted by Sky News: “[Johnson] told us he was personally in favor of it, but he said that Britain had been more affected by free movement of people than other EU member states.”
“He did say he was personally in favor of free movement, as it corresponds to his own beliefs. But he said it wasn’t government policy,” a third ambassador reportedly told the news outlet.
Another envoy corroborated the comments and said Johnson was speaking at an ambassadors’ lunch, Sky News said.
A fifth ambassador interviewed said he did not hear Johnson make such comments, adding that the British foreign minister lacked credibility and claiming diplomats “don’t care what he says.”
The former mayor of London, Johnson was a key backer in the campaign to leave the EU and was appointed foreign minister after the June 23 referendum in which the UK voted in favor of Brexit.
Former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg criticized Johnson for appearing to air a different opinion privately to that which his used on the pro-Brexit campaign trail.
“It does suggest that Boris Johnson ... is just treating voters like fools. Let’s remember, Boris Johnson was the figurehead of the Brexit campaign,” Clegg, former leader of the pro-EU Liberal Democrats, told Sky News.
However, a foreign ministry source said that Johnson’s comments to ambassadors did not differ from his public statements.
“The foreign secretary said what he has said many times before — he is pro-immigration, but wants to take back control to limit numbers,” the source said.
“He did not say he supported freedom of movement and challenges anyone to show proof that he ever said that,” the source said.
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