Boris Johnson: Britain will be sucked back into EU’s orbit if Labour take over
‘I think that would be very wrong for the country,’ former PM says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has used his upcoming interview with Nadine Dorries to attack Labour over Brexit, as he expressed hopes that the government would move to cut taxes in future.
The first instalment of the former culture secretary’s programme on TalkTV, titled Friday Night With Nadine, will feature Mr Johnson.
In the interview, Mr Johnson says that Labour would become “gravitationally sucked” back into the EU’s orbit if it gained power after the next election, in comments reported by The Sun.
He said: “I think that you’d have a very interesting situation, they would be gravitationally sucked back into the orbit of the EU. I think that would be very wrong for the country. It would lose us a lot of opportunities that we currently have.”
Mr Johnson also predicted the Tories would start to reduce the tax burden “when the time comes”, saying: “The economy will start to improve, inflation will come down, people will reward the Conservative Party, they will reward the government for being sensible, for cutting their taxes and for getting things done that they need done.
“Certainly what I can say with confidence is that the fiscal position was pretty robust when I left office, we had scope to do all sorts of things and we were going to do them.
“And I have no doubt that when the time comes, the government will make sure that they start to reduce the tax burden and get the economy growing again and that is what needs to happen.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out on multiple occasions the UK rejoining the EU or re-entering the single market, while also criticising the deal agreed between London and Brussels by Mr Johnson.
The Northern Ireland Protocol, signed off by Mr Johnson as part of his Brexit deal, remains a source of tension between the UK and the EU as the two sides bid to find a solution.
The row over the protocol, which unionists say creates a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, effectively led to the collapse of powersharing in Stormont.
Ms Dorries’s new show landed her in trouble with Parliament’s anti-corruption watchdog, after she was accused of breaking Government rules by not consulting the body before taking her new job at TalkTV.
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) chairman Lord Pickles said “failing to seek and await advice before the role was announced or taken up in this case is a breach of the Government’s rules and the requirements set out in the Ministerial Code”.