Hang on a second': Boris Johnson
flounders on interview circuit
The foreign secretary got into
difficulties over the details of the Queen’s speech when doing the rounds of
the broadcasters
Chris Johnston
@cajuk
Wednesday 21 June 2017 21.37 BST Last modified on Thursday
22 June 2017 00.40 BST
Boris Johnson struggled to explain the key points of the
Queen’s speech in a radio interview on Wednesday night, repeatedly pausing and
sighing “hang on a second” as he could be heard riffling through papers.
The foreign secretary was sent out to promote the
Conservatives’ legislative priorities for this parliament, with interviews on
Sky News and Channel 4 News as well as Radio 4’s PM.
Johnson appeared to have the greatest difficulties with PM
presenter Eddie Mair’s questions about the measures the speech contained to
tackle the “burning injustices” identified by Theresa May.
Mair began by asking the MP what the Queen’s speech would do
to tackle discrimination against black people in the criminal justice system –
an issue highlighted by the prime minister when she took office last year.
Johnson replied hesitantly: “Well, there are measures, I
believe, in the bill on the courts which I think is supposed to address some of
those issues. I think one thing in particular that we are looking at is
measures to ... hang on a second ... there are all sorts of measures that we
want to take to ensure that we do not discriminate against everybody.”
The interview can be heard on the BBC iPlayer and begins at
about 26 mins.
Mair then asked about how the speech would help white
working class boys attend university and the foreign secretary gave a response
that avoided answering Mair’s question.
The presenter then turned to mental health care, at which
point Johnson tried to return to the first question, only to be told by Mair:
“It’s not a Two Ronnies sketch – you can’t answer the question before last.”
Asked why so many measures from the Conservative manifesto
had been ditched so soon after the election, Johnson was more candid. “I’m not
going to hide it from you that the election did not turn out exactly as we
would have hoped,” he replied. “It’s our job to form a government if we
possibly can and to get on with what I think is a very progressive Queen’s
speech.”
Asked what the point of the prime minister was given the
doubt about whether the Tories would be able to get legislation through the
Commons, Johnson said: “The point of the prime minister is to lead the country,
to give a lead on these key issues and to take this Queen’s speech through, and
she will. She will do a great job. The people of this country, I think, have
had pretty much enough of elections. I think most people want a period of
calm.”
The Leave campaigner also told Channel 4 News that Brexit
could be finalised in two years with no transitional deal. “What I certainly
think we can do is get the best of both worlds”, Johnson said. That would mean
“frictionless, tariff-free trade”, while “also being able to do free trade
deals”.
He also said he was not about to challenge May for the Tory
leadership: “We have got to get on and deliver on the priorities of the
people.”
Johnson also seemed to suggest that a controversial visit by
President Donald Trump would go ahead later this year.
He told Sky News that a date was not mentioned in the
Queen’s speech on Wednesday because a date was yet to be agreed with the White
House.
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