Johnson: "This is the moment to chuck Chequers."
152 views · Published 7 October 2018 · 4:40 · Indexed 29 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(2 Oct 2018) Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson revved up Britain's Conservative Party Tuesday and ramped up pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May, condemning her proposed divorce deal with the European Union as a "cheat" that would keep the country manacled to the bloc. In front of 1,500 conference delegates in Birmingham, central England, Johnson lambasted May's so-called "Chequers plan," which would see Britain stick close to EU rules in return for remaining in the bloc's single market for goods. "Chequers is a cheat," he said, drawing huge applause from party members with a call to "chuck Chequers." A day before May was due to rally Tory troops with a keynote speech at the governing party's annual conference, the popular, but divisive Johnson stole the prime minister's thunder with an address laying out his own vision of Brexit and domestic politics. It was a leadership speech in all but name from a politician who quit the government in July over May's Brexit plan, but remains a huge Conservative star - and, his fans hope, a future prime minister. With six months to go until Britain leaves the European Union on March 29, the EU is seeking new proposals from Britain, and May is sticking to her plan, bringing negotiations to a standstill. The Conservatives are divided over how to proceed, caught between Brexiteers like Johnson and those who want to keep close economic with the bloc, Britain's biggest trading partner. Johnson's full-blooded pro-Brexit rhetoric has wide support among Conservative Party members, though the speech was light on detail about his proposed alternative. Johnson said simply that Britain should use a 20-month transition period after Brexit to negotiate a looser, Canada-style free trade deal while stepping up preparations for a "no-deal" exit. Johnson did not call Tuesday for May to be replaced, saying she should simply abandon her plan. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/70287f13259cbc35e5d33ec6c054fd91
