BORIS Johnson was hailed as the “last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom” in the Commons on Thursday.
The Tory toff picked up the moniker as he was making his first statement to Parliament as the UK’s head of government.
In a combative appearance at the dispatch box, the new Prime Minister announced that he was seeking an entirely new, backstop-free deal with the EU.
Johnson insisted that the UK would be out of Europe on Halloween, with or without a deal.
“I would prefer us to leave the EU with a deal - I would much prefer it,” he said.
“I believe that it is possible even at this late stage and I will work flat out to make it happen.
“But certain things need to be clear. The withdrawal agreement negotiated by my predecessor has been three times rejected by this House.
“Its terms are unacceptable to this parliament and this country,” he said.
He said that his new government was ready to negotiate with Brussels in good faith.
“We will throw ourselves into these negotiations with the greatest energy and determination and in a spirit of friendship,” he said.
But at the same time he promises to “turbocharge” preparations for a no-deal Brexit in the event that they were unable to come to an agreement with the EU. Michael Gove has been placed in charge of the UK’s no-deal Brexit preparations.
SNP's Ian Blackford welcomes "the last prime minister of the United Kingdom" to his new job, telling Boris Johnson he is "horrified" he has entered Downing Street "through such an undemocratic process"
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) July 25, 2019
Live updates: https://t.co/R1hLwM076H pic.twitter.com/mxmh4qOK9d
Replying to the statement, the SNP’s Ian Blackford welcomed Johnson as “the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.”
He warned the Tory leader that a no-deal Brexit would cost Scotland 100,000 jobs, and and that the SNP would stop any attempt to crash out of Europe without a deal.
Blackford told the Prime Minister that Nicola Sturgeon is now reviewing the timetable for a second independence referendum.
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