The Foreign Secretary came under fire last night after leaked documents suggested he had questioned the importance of the Irish border issue.
In a leaked letter to Theresa May, Boris Johnson suggested he would be willing to accept a so-called ‘hard border’ between Northern Ireland and the Republic if other solutions failed.
Mrs May has repeatedly insisted she will not accept a hard border involving inspection posts and checkpoints, following warnings this could undermine the Northern Ireland peace process.
But in the letter, Mr Johnson wrote that it was wrong to see the task as maintaining ‘no border’ on the island of Ireland after Brexit, saying the Government’s task was to ‘stop this border becoming significantly harder’.
In a leaked letter to Theresa May, Boris Johnson suggested he would be willing to accept a so-called ‘hard border’ between Northern Ireland and the Republic if other solutions failed
He added: ‘Even if a hard border is reintroduced, we would expect to see 95 per cent-plus of goods pass the border [without] checks.’
The letter emerged after Mr Johnson faced criticism yesterday for likening the Irish border to the boundaries between London boroughs.
The former London mayor said ‘there’s no border between Camden and Westminster’ as he suggested that goods crossing between the Republic and Northern Ireland could be subject to electronic checks, in an apparent reference to the congestion charge.
But his suggestion was dismissed as ‘wilful recklessness’ by Labour MPs. In his letter to the Prime Minister, which was obtained by Sky News, Mr Johnson pointed out that there was already a border between north and south, saying it was ‘of course a fallacy’ that Brexit could see a border re-emerge. Shadow Northern Ireland spokesman Owen Smith said Mr Johnson should be sacked if the letter was genuine.
Shadow Northern Ireland spokesman Owen Smith (pictured) said Mr Johnson should be sacked if the letter was genuine
He said: ‘Boris Johnson’s recklessness with our relationship with the Republic and the future of the Good Friday Agreement must be addressed by the PM.
‘This man’s ego and his Brexit-at-any-cost strategy cannot be allowed to jeopardise peace. Mrs May should sack him before he does any more damage.’
Allies of Mr Johnson said the quotes had been plucked selectively from an 18-page letter. One said it was ‘disappointing’ that a letter sent to ministers on Mrs May’s Brexit ‘war cabinet’ had been leaked.
A spokesman for the Foreign Secretary said: ‘This [letter] was designed to outline how a highly facilitated border would work and help to make a successful Brexit. The letter points out there is a border now and the task the committee face is stopping this becoming significantly harder.
‘It shows how we could manage a border without infrastructure or related checks and controls while protecting UK, NI, Irish, and EU interests.
‘As the PM has previously stated, we will not accept any physical infrastructure at the border and will instead seek alternatives that allow us to leave the customs union and take back control of our money, borders, laws and trading policy.’