Politics

Boris Johnson says voters can have Brexit ‘decided’ by Christmas with a Tory majority



Boris Johnson has said the country can enjoy Christmas dinner knowing Brexit is “decided” if voters elect a majority Conservative government.

In a final message before election day on Thursday, Mr Johnson said “enough is enough” when it came to Brexit delays.

If returned to Downing Street, the Tory leader has vowed to kickstart the process of exiting the European Union before families tuck into their turkeys on December 25.

But he warned that the General Election remains on a “knife edge”, despite Tory leads in the polls. 

Boris Johnson drives a Union flag-themed JCB, with the words “Get Brexit Done” inside the digger bucket, through a fake wall emblazoned with the word “GRIDLOCK” (REUTERS)

Mr Johnson said: “Enough is enough. This election is our chance to end the gridlock, but the result is on a knife-edge.”

His rallying call comes only 24 hours after a major poll suggested a hung parliament could still be on the cards.

It also follows comments made by the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who told a group of senior MEPs in a private meeting  that a global trade negotiation cannot be completed in the time frame suggested by the Prime Minister.

YouGov’s constituency-by-constituency poll, released on Tuesday evening, predicted the Tories could be on course for a 28-seat majority.

The suggested result is down from the sizeable 68-seat victory that the same poll had been predicting for the Tories only two weeks ago and, due to a tightening of the polls and the unpredictability of tactical voting, YouGov experts said a repeat hung parliament result could not be ruled out.

As he prepares to put in the final miles of the campaign, the Prime Minister said: “Today is our chance to unite as a country and put the uncertainty to bed so people can get on with their lives.

“Just imagine how wonderful it will be to settle down to a turkey dinner this Christmas with Brexit decided – and how awful it would be if Corbyn and Sturgeon were in Downing Street advancing their plans for two more referendums.

“Let’s stop the chaos and stop the referendums. We can secure a majority Conservative government if we win just nine more seats.”

The former London mayor said he had a “simple message” for voters – including those who had never ticked the box next to a Tory candidate’s name on the ballot paper before.

“Give me a majority and I will finish what we started – what you instructed us to do – three and a half years ago,” he said.

“A great future is there within our grasp, but I need your vote.

“Even if you have never voted Conservative before, this is your chance to be heard and I promise I will not let you down.”

Mr Johnson has pledged to bring his Brexit deal back for a Commons vote before Christmas if he secures a majority.

His plan is to have the Withdrawal Agreement ratified by Parliament before the end of January, and then negotiate a trade deal with the European Union by the close of 2020.

 

New: Daily podcast from the Evening Standard

Subscribe to The Leader on Apple PodcastsSpotifyAcast or your chosen podcast provider. New episodes every weekday from 4pm.



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.