Boris Johnson has warned that there will be a Brexit meltdown in Britain with exit talks approaching a “moment of truth”.
The Foreign Secretary has recently called for “guts” in negotiations with the EU and has dismissed concerns over the Irish Border in public.
But recordings from a private dinner seem to paint a different picture.
BuzzFeed News revealed today that the Brexiteer said: “You’ve got to face the fact there may now be a meltdown. OK? I don’t want anybody to panic during the meltdown. No panic. Pro bono publico, no bloody panic.
“It’s going to be all right in the end.”
Johnson said Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Treasury is the “heart of remain” and warned of a “very, very difficult” battle at the heart of government in the conversation.
He also claimed he “increasingly admires” Donald Trump, and said the US President would likely “go in bloody hard” if her were negotiating Brexit.
Mr Johnson added that he is convinced “there is method in his madness”.
In discussions over the border he said fears were out of proportion.
“It’s so small and there are so few firms that actually use that border regularly, it’s just beyond belief that we’re allowing the tail to wag the dog in this way.
“We’re allowing the whole of our agenda to be dictated by this folly”, he said.
Labour’s Ian Murray, a supporter of the People’s Vote campaign for a second referendum, said: “Boris Johnson is utterly shameless.
“As these comments show, he knows we’re going to get shafted with a bad Brexit deal, he knows how much damage it will cause to our economy, he knows it will result in a hard border re-emerging in Northern Ireland, but he couldn’t care less.
“That this disgraceful charlatan holds one of the great offices of state in this country should be a source of constant shame and embarrassment to the Prime Minister. Boris Johnson cares about nothing except himself and his own ambition.
“He is right about one thing: we are heading for ‘a meltdown’ over Brexit. But his solution is simply to embrace the chaos.”
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