Yahoo News Boris Johnson accuses EU and Remainer MPs of 'terrible collaboration' to block Brexit
Boris Johnson has accused Remainer MPs and the EU of “collaborating” to block Brexit.
The PM said EU negotiators were refusing to compromise over a new deal, warning that the longer the stalemate continues the more likely Britain will leave the EU without a deal on October 31.
Speaking during his first self-styled “People’s PMQs” from his Downing Street desk using Facebook Live, Mr Johnson also dodged a question about whether there would be a general election in the coming weeks.
Mr Johnson said he was taking questions “unpasteurised and unmediated” from his desk in Downing Street.
Asked how he can deliver this pledge given the lack of movement from the EU and opposition from MPs, Mr Johnson said: “There’s a terrible kind of collaboration, as it were, going on between people who think they can block Brexit in Parliament and our European friends.
(You can watch the Q&A below)
“And our European friends are not moving in their willingness to compromise, they’re not compromising at all on the Withdrawal Agreement even though it’s been thrown out three times, they’re sticking to every letter, every comma of the Withdrawal Agreement – including the backstop – because they still think Brexit can be blocked in Parliament.
“The awful thing is the longer that goes on, the more likely it is of course that we will be forced to leave with a no-deal Brexit.
“The more they think there’s a chance that Brexit can be blocked in Parliament, the more adamant they are in sticking to their position.”
The Prime Minister also sidestepped a question about a further general election by saying the people have had enough but did not give an outright ‘no’ as a response.
He said: “I think the British public have had a lot of elections.
“I think what they want us to do is get on and deliver Brexit on October 31 and that is what we are going to do.”
Mr Johnson said MPs and friends in Europe will see it “vital” to do it.
He said: “We are coming out of the European Union on October 31, the British public feel frustrated and annoyed that we haven’t.”
Rural communities
Mr Johnson vowed to ensure non-urban areas have good internet services and fibre broadband for everyone.
He said he wanted to work hard to bring the whole country closer together and “levelling” up the UK.
He said: “We want to do a lot more to revive local democracy with a programme of devolution to devolve powers to towns and communities across the UK.”
Mr Johnson said he would invest in schools and improve education throughout the country.
When he was asked what he would do to protect the UK union, Mr Johnson said: “I will stress the benefits to us all from the union.
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