“He lied a lot to the British people and now he finds himself with his back against the wall”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Europe1 radio in France on Thursday.
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He said that upcoming Brexit talks between the United Kingdom and the European Union would make “a certain amount of plaster coming off the ceiling of the chancelleries of Europe since it was not the result they were expecting”.
He also said that USA democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton looked like “a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital” and wrote a poem about Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan having sex with a goat.
The party’s Rolf Muetzenich said he wouldn’t be surprised if, next, “Britain appoints Dracula as health secretary”.
One of the first economic indicators to capture the post-referendum mood showed yesterday that British consumer confidence fell sharply after the vote.
When asked about how the role of Foreign Secretary might change after the creation of these new appointments, Mr Johnson said: “We will be working very closely, as you can imagine, with the new departments for global trade and for the withdrawal from the EU”.
He said Johnson must first apologize to Obama and then apologize to European Union leaders for saying their plans for Europe were similar to Adolf Hitler’s.
Ayrault claimed he was not anxious about working with Johnson but stressed the need for a “clear, credible and reliable” negotiating partner.
Germany’s foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, described Johnson’s behaviour during the referendum as “ungeheuerlich” – monstrous or outrageous.
Theresa May gave Boris Johnson one of the most powerful roles in government as she appointed him Foreign Secretary on Wednesday night.
Four EU and British sources told Reuters on Thursday it was unclear the dinner would go ahead and if so, who among Johnson and the 27 other EU ministers would attend.
“Boris Johnson as our Foreign Secretary?”. Asked what he expected of working with Johnson, given such comments, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said to laughter “you see that it’s an advantage not to have such a great command of the English language”.
Johnson, with his trademark blond mop of hair and penchant for buffoonery, was the most visible public face of the campaign to leave the 28-nation bloc, even touted as a prospective prime minister after his camp’s victory – that is, until a close political ally publicly betrayed him, driving him from the race.
Others greeted the news with mockery and outrage, with many highlighting Johnson’s embarrassing flubs at home and overseas – like when he got stuck on a zip line or tackled a 10-year-old – and his numerous insulting comments about foreigners.
May emphasized her commitment to delivering Brexit but “explained that we would need some time to prepare for these negotiations and spoke of her hope that these could be conducted in a constructive and positive spirit”, the spokeswoman said of the calls.
Still, Hardt suggests: “Britain remaining in the European Union should also be an option for the new government it would be better for Great Britain and the rest of the European Union”.
After six years as Cameron’s interior minister, May was viewed as a safe pair of hands to replace him, but began with a cull of some of her former cabinet colleagues.
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He will travel widely, attending diplomatic meetings on matters from worldwide security to the outcome of the U.S. elections.
