Published 16:13 IST, September 15th 2019
David Cameron slams UK PM Boris Johnson, alleges hypocrisy on Brexit
David Cameron slammed current UK PM Boris Johnson for his opportunism on the Brexit issue, alleging that he was in favour of another referendum privately.
According to the extracts of his memoir published on Sunday, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) David Cameron slammed the current UK PM Boris Johnson for his opportunism on the Brexit issue. Cameron alleged that when it came down to choosing sides between Leave and Remain, Johnson was more concerned about the ‘best outcome’ for himself. The former PM contended that Johnson did not want his then Cabinet colleague Michael Gove to become 'the darling of the party.' Furthermore, Cameron observed that despite Johnson’s vociferous public support for the Leave campaign, he was privately in favour of holding another referendum after negotiations with the European Union (EU).
Criticism of Johnson’s ‘racist’ election campaign
Cameron claimed that the current PM’s concerns regarding the UK’s sovereignty were 'secondary.' He criticized Johnson’s use of the Vote Leave bus, which propagated the belief that leaving the EU would automatically imply an extra infusion of 350 million GBP per week for the National Health Service (NHS).
"Boris rode the bus round the country, he left the truth at home," Cameron wrote.
However, his most explosive allegation came in the form of accusing the current UK PM of running a racist election campaign. Johnson had repeatedly harped about Turkey and its possible accession to the EU. Referring to both Gove and Johnson, Cameron revealed that they had behaved in an appalling manner. He observed that they not only attacked their own government and turned a blind eye to their side’s unpleasant actions but also became ambassadors for the “expert-trashing, truth-twisting age of populism”.
“It didn’t take long to figure out Leave’s obsession. Why focus on a country that wasn’t an EU member? “The answer was that it was a Muslim country, which piqued fears about Islamism, mass migration and the transformation of communities. It was blatant,” the former PM opined.
The Brexit tussle
Becoming the youngest PM of the UK in 200 years, Cameron went on to fulfill his party's manifesto promise to hold a referendum on UK's membership of the EU. Finding himself on the losing side after the referendum results in 2016, he stepped down as he had campaigned for Remain. Subsequently, Theresa May took over the mantle to steer the country towards leaving the EU. As May failed to get parliamentary support for the legislation to implement the Brexit deal, she too resigned paving way for Johnson's ascension to the post. He is facing a turmoil as the October 31 deadline inches closer. Recently, the UK PM expelled 21 Members of Parliament belonging to his party, after they rebelled against him to prevent a no-deal Brexit. His own brother and Universities Minister Jo Johnson and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd put in their papers as well. Johnson is scheduled to meet European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg this week to negotiate the Brexit deal.
Updated 17:39 IST, September 15th 2019