New UK Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed former London mayor Boris Johnson as Britain’s new Foreign Secretary.
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She also cleared out rivals, firing stalwarts of David Cameron’s outgoing government including culture secretary John Whittingdale, education secretary Nicky Morgan and – most significantly – justice secretary Michael Gove, her onetime competitor for the job of Conservative leader.
May’s decision to appoint Johnson – who actively campaigned for her rival to the Conservative Party leadership – to the plum role of Foreign Secretary, was greeted with shock, no small amount of amusement and, in some quarters, horror, given Johnson’s history of no-holds-barred criticism of foreign leaders and gaffes during trips overseas.
Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French foreign minister, said: “I am not at all anxious about Boris Johnson, but you know his style, his method during the [EU referendum] campaign”.
Ayrault said people had seen what his style was like during the referendum campaign, adding that Johnson “lied a lot to the British”.
He will take on the crucial role of seeking to defend Britain’s economy while unpicking over four decades of trade, legal and diplomatic ties to the EU.
The foreign ministers of Latvia, Estonia and Norway were others who said they looked forward to meeting Johnson. But she decided to make him Foreign Secretary largely to ensure that he will not be able to foment another rebellion in the Conservative Party.
The German foreign minister, Franz Walter Steinmeier, did not mention Johnson by name but it was clear enough who he had in mind when he expressed sympathy for the misled British voter.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday that Britain could play an even greater role in Europe despite voting to leave the European Union, a view he said was shared by the United States. He was referencing Johnson’s decision the day after the vote to play cricket at the Althorp estate, the stately home of Earl Spencer.
Boris Johnson everyone: Britain’s new top diplomat.
Juergen Hardt said in a statement Thursday that, for example, “free access to the common market means, among other things, accepting other fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of movement” between European countries.
Johnson’s day-to-day involvement in Brexit negotiations is yet to be defined, and his direct collaboration with European Union colleagues may be limited on the topic.
Then a voice interrupts her to say: “He’s been made Foreign Secretary”, sparking disbelief from the Labour hopeful.
In a speech launching her own leadership bid on June 30, May made fun of Johnson by contrasting her own experience of negotiating with European counterparts with his. -British relations – an irony since Johnson is also an American by virtue of his birth in NY. The Thomson Reuters/Ipsos Primary Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 49.4 in July from last month’s 51.2.
British Chief Secretary to the Treasury Philip Hammond reassured a startled world that Johnson – whose responsibilities include oversight of the MI6 spy agency – would be a team player.
Johnson’s appointment was announced during a regular Wednesday State Department briefing, and spokesman Mark Toner appeared to bite back a grin when he heard the news. The pair will meet Monday in Brussels.
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In a Thursday phone call from Paris, Kerry and Johnson “agreed that the U.S. -U.K. special relationship is as essential as ever” and pledged to work together as North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies in facing challenges.
