Thursday 19 December 2019 5:07 pm

Bridge over troubled waters: Boris backs Scotland to Northern Ireland bridge

Boris Johnson has suggested he could build a bridge between Scotland and Northern Island.

Boris Johnson love of bridges has reared its head again as the Prime Minister has suggested he could build a bridge between Scotland and Northern Island.

DUP MP Ian Paisley interrupted the Prime Minister’s speech to parliament to ask him if he would build a bridge between the two countries.

Paisley has been a vocal supporter of the idea in the past.

Johnson said: “As for his desire for a bridge to connect the two biggest isles in the British Isles, all I can say is it is a very interesting idea.

“I advise [Paisley] to watch this space – and indeed, watch that space between those islands, because what he has said has not fallen on deaf ears.”

It is not the first time Johnson has suggested a bridge should be built between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The Prime Minister first touted the idea last year when he was foreign secretary, suggesting a 20-mile bridge could be built at a cost of £15bn.

“What we need to do is build a bridge between our islands,” he said.

“Why don’t we? Why don’t we?”

It would not be the Prime Minister’s first foray into bridge building, after he attempted to build the Garden Bridge while he was mayor of London.

The failed £50bn project was a 366-metre pedestrian bridge between Waterloo and Blackfriar bridges.

It would have been covered by trees, plants and other foliage.

The project – which was supported by then-chancellor George Osborne – has attracted controversy for wasting public money on a large scale, with contracts awarded to overseas companies before planning approval was given.

It was cancelled by Sadiq Khan after he was elected mayor.