After President Barack Obama stepped into Britain’s referendum debate in April, lobbying for the “remain” side, Johnson accused the US leader of harboring a part-Kenyan’s “ancestral dislike of the British empire”.
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TL;DR: I’ve said many things, but we have more important things to focus on.
Klapper also bluntly asked Kerry whether he could trust Johnson given his leading role in the campaign that led Britain out of the EU.
When the two appeared before reporters after a brief meeting in Johnson’s office, Kerry said the USA ambassador to the European Union had just been regaling him with tales of his experiences with Johnson while they were at Oxford University together. “I am not only pro-immigration, I’m pro-immigrants, but I am in favour of an amnesty for illegal immigrants who have been here for more than 12 years, unable to contribute to this economy, unable to pay taxes, unable to take proper part in society”.
Johnson twice referred to the crisis in Egypt, but was believed to be referring to Turkey.
“What confidence do you have that Mr Johnson will represent the interests of anyone but himself?” he asked.
“We have consistently been able to work together to do things to help safety of people on planet…particularly pronounced on the Iran nuclear agreement and Paris climate agreement”, he said.
Kerry’s reply was-how to put it-diplomatic? I ran for president of the United States, and now I have been secretary of state for three and a half years.
“Our ambassador to the E.U.in Brussels, who I just spent the evening with the other night, had the privilege of going to Oxford [University] with Boris Johnson”, he said.
Still, Kerry played the seasoned diplomat.
Johnson’s response: “Fantastic, I can live with that. Phew! We can stop there”. Instead, the former London mayor and key protagonist in last month’s “Brexit” drama sought to emphasize the importance of the U.S. -U.K.
Kerry said Britain’s exit from the EU created “complicated questions” over trade and that it would be “physically impossible” for a separate trade deal between the US and United Kingdom before it leaves the European Union, and that President Obama – one of the leaders Johnson has mocked in the past – has said any deal with Britain gets moved down in priority with an exit from the EU.
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“As Britain and the EU begin negotiating the new terms of their partnership, America is rooting for, and will do all we can to try to encourage and assist in the development of the smoothest possible transition and a highly integrated and collaborative UK-EU relationship”, he said.
