Boris is leaning towards voting to leave the EU
MAYOR of London Boris Johnson is reportedly preparing to call for a “no” vote in favour of the UK leaving the European Union, putting him at odds with Prime Minister David Cameron.
The Prime Minister has promised an in/out referendum by the end of 2017, following a period of EU renegotiation. While Cameron has not said whether he would back the “yes” campaign to stay in, or the “no” campaign in favour of a so-called Brexit, it is understood that he will work to keep the UK in the EU.
But Johnson – who was elected as an MP for Uxbridge at the last General Election and is considered a possible successor to Cameron as leader of the Conservative party – has reportedly told friends that the country should reject any reform deal that Cameron secures.
The Sunday Times first reported yesterday that the mayor has said that a “no” vote would force officials in Brussels to offer a much better deal, which the public could then support in a second referendum.
According to the report, Johnson said: “We need to be bold. You have to show them that you are serious.”
The mayor, who attends Cameron’s political cabinet twice a month, had widely been expected to back the Prime Minister in an eventual “yes” campaign.
Yet he reportedly changed his mind after reading a blog post from Dominic Cummings, the former Tory adviser who is backing the “no” campaign, in which Cummings said eurosceptics should argue: “If you want to say stop, vote no and you will get another chance to vote on the new deal.”