“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 (local time).
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French Foreign Minister Ayrault was blunt: “I am not at all anxious about Boris Johnson, but. during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall”.
As the fallout from Brexit continues an informal meeting to discuss the foreign policy impact of the vote for Britain to leave to European Union by ministers on Sunday night has been put in doubt following Mr Johnson’s promotion.
After six years as interior minister under David Cameron, May took office on Wednesday signalling her intention to start with a clean slate – before ruthlessly ejecting some of her former colleagues.
While May’s decision may have revived Johnson’s political career, it has startled onlookers who recall the Conservative MP’s history of incendiary remarks about other world leaders, countries and races.
Another shot of the former London Mayor wearing a bike helmet is captioned: “Making sure GB is taken seriously”.
The White House is pushing back on suggestions that her selection of Boris Johnson as foreign minister will be problematic for the U.S. Johnson had previously described Obama as a “part-Kenyan” who had an “ancestral dislike of the British empire”. He says Obama is confident the US will keep working to strengthen relations “irrespective of specific personalities”.
A “map of all the countries Boris Johnson has offended” that went viral on social networks shows how that could prove hard.
Mr Johnson said it was “inevitable there will be some plaster coming off the ceilings in the chancelleries of Europe”.
Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street after being appointed Foreign Secretary, following a Cabinet reshuffle by new Prime Minister Theresa May, in London, Wednesday, July 13, 2016.
Liberal Democratic leader Tim Farron commented that Johnson would spend less time in his new position promoting diplomacy and “spend more time apologizing to nations he’s offended”, the BBC reports.
Davis has previously said Britain should take a “brisk but measured” approach to exit talks with the European Union, invoking Article 50 of the European Union constitution – the formal trigger for two years of exit negotiations – by the start of 2017.
But where others would have floundered, Mr. Johnson became increasingly popular, culminating in his two victories in usually left-leaning London’s mayoral contests in 2008 and 2012.
34, while London’s FTSE 100 index slid, reflecting some disappointment at the bank’s decision to hold off on an anticipated rate cut. Frankfurt’s DAX 30 rallied to its highest point since the Brexit vote.
He said Johnson must first apologize to Obama for referring to his “part-Kenyan” ancestry and then apologize to European Union leaders for saying their plans for Europe were similar to Hitler’s.
Britain narrowly voted to exit the EU.
“He’s got some apologies to make, but as the UK’s salesman, he’ll do a stand-up job”, said Simon Usherwood, senior politics lecturer at the University of Surrey.
John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, spoke to Mr Johnson by phone today and urged Britain to be “sensible”.
Another new department is that of global trade, indicating the importance of striking new trade agreements in the wake of Brexit, and the man in charge will be Liam Fox who had also been among the contenders for the post of Conservative party leadership.
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May’s first calls were to Europe’s top two powerbrokers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande. He says Prime Minister Theresa May should kick off exit talks “as soon as possible”.
