Politics

Boris Johnson says he backed Brexit ‘to win an argument’

We haven’t missed this. Boris Johnson is back in the public limelight, as he attempts to flog a few copies of his memoirs. The book, titled Unleashed, hasn’t exactly been a hit with the critics – and sentiments such as these likely prove why.

Boris Johnson interviews with ITV – and dodges Brexit blame

Following the collapse of his proposed interview with Laura Kuenssberg this week, as a result of the BBC host ‘accidentally’ sending him her briefing notes ahead of schedule, ITV swooped in to grill the former Prime Minister. Tom Bradby didn’t go easy on his guest.

Tough questions were put to Johnson regarding Partygate. However, he responded in typically bullish fashion, claiming that the only thing he was sorry for was apologising in the first place. He also leveraged the Sue Gray situation, shifting some blame onto her.

Why did Boris Johnson back Brexit?

Never one to take too much responsibility, BoJo was more than ready to dodge accountability when quizzed on Brexit. Bradby chastised the senior Tory for leading the charge for Vote Leave, without actually have a solid plan for a post-EU future.

That, according to Mr. Johnson, was not his fault. He instead blamed David Cameron for failing to prepare for the outcome if the British public voted to leave the EU, stating that ‘it was not normal’ for the ex-PM to simply vacate office the day after the referendum was held.

‘I wanted to win an argument’

When asked about his motivations for supporting Brexit, Boris Johnson gave something of a maddening answer. Aside from mentioning generic factors such as ‘freedom’ and ‘potential’, he explained that he was driven by a desire to ‘win an argument’.

Ah. All this, for the last eight years, just so Boris could prove a point? Brilliant…

“I wanted to win an argument. I believed in freedom and that this country had a great future. What I and everybody expected was that David Cameron and his government, having called a referendum for the people, would bring forward a white paper on the details.”

“Every other European leader who holds a referendum decides, once the people have voted, what to do – and they stay in office. It’s not normal when a Prime Minister asks for this vote and then evacuates the stage.” | Boris Johnson

Tom Head

Hailing from Nottingham, Tom Head has had a journalism career that's taken him across the world. He spent five years as a political reporter in South Africa, specialising in the production digital content. The 30-year-old has two cats, a wonderful wife, and a hairline that's steadily making a retreat.

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