- Brexit train has signal problems as Johnson’s row dominates agenda
Since the EU referendum up until now, information on the process of leaving the European Union has been shambolic and vague.
Despite the ongoing attempts of the U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, the leaking of news from cabinet meetings and the ensuing political cacophony has dominated the daily agenda. Yet, the British public has not heard much more than May’s oft-quoted motto; “Brexit means Brexit.”
However, vital questions as to what it means for businesses, the city of London, the budget, income, household savings, expenditure and international trade need to be addressed. All these questions have not yet been answered and time is running out for clarification with May’s political rivals gearing up for a new leadership challenge.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson wrote a 4,200-word article last Friday in the British daily, the Telegraph, saying there can be no extended transitional period after Britain leaves the EU by the end of March 2019. He also said the U.K. should not make "extortionate" payments to the EU for access to its markets.
His view obviously opposes what May and Chancellor Philip Hammond have been suggesting over the last few months.
“We would not expect to pay for access to their markets any more than they would expect to pay for access to ours,” Hammond wrote.
This comes as May is reportedly considering paying up to £40 billion in a Brexit divorce bill in order to keep access to the single market over a two-year transitional period.
According to The Express, one of Johnson’s Tory MP supporters said: “He has just lobbed a hand grenade through Downing Street’s window.”
Home Secretary Amber Rudd also accused Johnson of “backseat driving” over the Brexit.
In response to the foreign secretary's newspaper article, which sparked accusations of "backseat driving", the BBC reported May telling journalists that, "This government is driven from the front. We are going to the same destination.”
Currently, the senior MPs of his party do not appear to support Johnson because of his action.
He later defended his statement by saying, "What I am trying to do is set out, in advance of the prime minister's speech in Florence on Friday, because I was involved in that Brexit campaign, people want to know where we are going. It is a good thing to have a bit of an opening drum roll about what this country can do."
His snap intervention in May’s orders clearly shows that 15 months after the EU referendum, the country and the cabinet are still deeply divided over the Brexit process.
While much talk has been made over Johnson’s initial intention, May is preparing to make a crucial speech in Florence this Friday. According to recent reports, the speech will carry important messages about the Brexit process and the future of negotiations.
According to those in the know, May might share the approximate amount that the U.K. is willing to pay for the continuation of market access to the EU. If this is the case, the foreign secretary could resign as he has already said that the U.K. should not be paying the EU for market access.
Another reason that could lead to Johnson’s resignation is the fact he has been so far the first and only foreign secretary to spar with the head of the independent national statistics office.
Johnson wrote in his Daily Telegraph piece on Sept. 15, "Once we have settled our accounts, we will take back control of roughly £350 million per week.”
However, following his statement, the chair of the U.K. Statistics Authority, Sir David Norgrove, wrote on Sunday to Johnson saying that the independent body had previously criticized the use of an amount that was displayed on the side of a campaign bus during the EU referendum campaign.
"I am surprised and disappointed that you have chosen to repeat the figure of £350 million per week, in connection with the amount that might be available for extra public spending when we leave the European Union. It also assumes that payments currently made to the U.K. by the EU, including for example the support of agriculture and scientific research will not be paid by the U.K. government when we leave. It is a clear misuse of official statistics,” Norgrove wrote.
According to The Guardian story, Johnson was left isolated as the row escalated over the £350 million post-Brexit claim. There was anger from some Cabinet colleagues with one accusing the foreign secretary of an unhelpful move that placed “personal ambition ahead of the interests of the country”.
In the upcoming days, eyes will be on May’s Florence speech and on Johnson’s ensuing moves.