Johnson thought Brexit would lose 2016 referendum, says former British Prime Minister

Johnson thought Brexit would lose 2016 referendum, says former British Prime Minister
Former Prime Minister, David Cameron, gave his first in-depth television interview about his time in office on ITV on Monday with Tom Bradby. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday that the current UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, thought that the remain vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum would come out on top.

"Just a few minutes before going to explain why he was in favour of Brexit, he texted me saying 'Brexit is going to be crushed like a toad under a harrow'," said David Cameron in an interview with presenter Tom Bradby on the ITV television channel.

"He thought the vote for Brexit would lose, but he didn't want to give up the chance to be on the romantic, patriotic and nationalist side of Brexit," continued the former Conservative Prime Minister, who held the office from 2010-2016.

Johnson "had never defended (Brexit) before, he thought (Brexit) would lose," Cameron insisted. The June 2016 referendum saw the British people vote 52% in favour of leaving the European Union.

Former Mayor of London and former Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson, succeeded Theresa May as British Prime Minister at the end of July this year. He promised to take the UK out of the EU at any cost on 31 October, with or without deal.

With 45 days to go before Brexit, Johnson is openly considering a no-deal outcome, despite some alarming forecasts by his own government of food shortages, drug shortages and risks of public unrest as well as fluctuations in UK imports. Johnson met with outgoing President of the EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, to discuss Brexit, on Monday.

"I very much regret where we have come to," said David Cameron, who will go down in history as the Prime Minister who held office when the UK voted to leave. "I take my share of responsibility, because it was my referendum, my campaign, (in favour of keeping the UK in the EU) and I lost," continued the 52-year-old man, who added that he excluded a return to politics.

Cameron, however, refuses to take responsibility for "everything that followed" the referendum of 23 June 2016.

The former leader announced his resignation on 24 June, the day after the results of the referendum were announced.

The Brussels Times


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