Former British secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs Boris Johnson on Tuesday challenged his rival for Britain’s leadership to deliver Brexit by the end of October whatever happens, only to be accused once again of trying to avoid scrutiny.
The ex-mayor of London is the favorite to succeed British Prime Minister Theresa May as leader of the governing Conservatives and therefore as prime minister.
However, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt, Johnson’s rival, has accused him of being a “coward” for refusing to face him in a TV debate.
Photo: Reuters
The pair are battling for the votes of an estimated 160,000 Conservative Party members, with the winner to be declared on July 23 and take office on July 24.
Johnson has sold himself as the charismatic leader to guide Britain through troubled times, despite questions over his competence and populist rhetoric.
However, after weeks spent avoiding media interviews, he has been accused of ducking scrutiny.
He has been called on to explain exactly how he would leave the EU, and why police were last week called to a noisy row with his girlfriend.
Johnson on Monday night and Tuesday broke cover in a series of broadcast interviews, when he refused to discuss his private life, but gave further details on his Brexit strategy.
He followed up with a letter to Hunt, challenging him to commit to keeping to the latest delayed Brexit date of Oct. 31, “deal or no deal.”
“We must not kick the can down the road again,” he wrote in the message posted on Twitter.
Johnson was a leading campaigner for Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum, whereas Hunt backed staying in the bloc — a disadvantage among the largely euroskeptic Conservative Party membership.
However, Hunt hit back at Johnson’s letter by asking again why his rival refused to attend a Sky News TV debate that had been planned for Tuesday evening.
“Why not turn up to Sky tonight and I’ll give you full and frank answers?” he tweeted.
Critics of Johnson question his position on Brexit, asking how he can maintain his coalition of die-hard euroskeptic Conservative Party lawmakers and moderates alike.
In an interview with TalkRadio, he said that he would keep the Oct. 31 date “do or die, come what may.”
Hunt said that was a “fake deadline” likely to trigger a general election.
Hunt would delay Brexit if a deal was within sight, but leave on Oct. 31 “as a last resort” if it was not, he told BBC television.
He pitched himself as more likely to wrangle a deal out of Brussels.
“If you choose someone where there’s no trust, there’s going to be no negotiation, no deal — and quite possibly a general election, which could mean we have no Brexit either,” he said.
The Conservatives command a majority of four in the British House of Commons.
About a dozen Conservative lawmakers are also said to be ready to bring down a Johnson government to stop a “no deal” scenario.
Both Hunt and Johnson are hoping to renegotiate the divorce deal that May struck with the EU, which the British Parliament has repeatedly rejected — even though Brussels says this is not possible.
Johnson on Tuesday said that he wants to keep “the best bits,” protecting the rights of EU expatriates and setting up a post-Brexit transition period while removing its arrangements for the Irish border.
If that fails, he suggested a “standstill” trade deal under WTO rules, although this needs EU agreement.
He said that Britain would threaten “no deal” and withhold its ￡39 billion (US$44.34 billion) share of EU liabilities until this is done.
However, the EU has repeatedly said that it would not sign a deal that does not include the “backstop” plan to keep open the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, an EU member.
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