Brexit leader Nigel Farage has told Breitbart London that he could work with a future Prime Minister Boris Johnson provided he was brave and “Churchillian” in office, but warned that he could be Mr Johnson’s worst enemy if he decided to betray Brexit.
In comments made to Breitbart’s James Delingpole, Nigel Farage strongly implied the chances of heir presumptive Boris Johnson would make a good Prime Minister who would deliver both Brexit and conservative policies were pretty low, when he responded to a question on the matter with laughter only.
But when asked whether, theoretically, he could back Boris Johnson as Prime Minister Mr Farage was more serious, making it clear Johnson would have to embody the qualities of Britain’s most famous historic politician if he wanted to succeed. Mr Farage told Breitbart London: “If he was brave, yes [, I could support him]. Well of course!
“If we get brave Boris, Churchillian Boris, great. I could be his best friend or his worst enemy — it’s up to him.”
Mr Farage also gave his top three policies for making the United Kingdom great again, apart from Brexit. Noting the smothering of entrepreneurs — “we kill them!” — the Brexit leader said the country should clear away needless regulation, enhance infrastructure such as access to high-speed internet in all parts of the nation, and political reform to tackle corruption.
This was a theme Farage would return to afterwards when the Brexit Party announced Monday it would be petitioning for an official investigation into fraud during the Peterborough byelection.
The United Kingdom is about a month away from having a new Prime Minister after Theresa May failed over the course of nearly three years to deliver the Brexit withdrawal from the European Union the British people voted for in 2016. Yet despite the very clear reasons why her leadership collapsed, there remain very serious doubt over whether her replacement would do a better job.
Mr Johnson has been haunted by the lingering perception of not being a conviction Brexiteer — something Mr Farage has warned against in the past — a concern emphasised last week by him getting the backing of George Osborne’s Evening Standard newspaper last week. Mr Osborne was the primary author of project fear, the government push to frighten the British people off the notion of independence through predictions of massive hardship.
Meanwhile, his competition Jeremy Hunt has at times laid claim to being a born-again Brexiteer despite having supported remain at the time of the referendum, but has since said he would delay Brexit day and claimed pushing a full Brexit through would be “political suicide”.
Oliver JJ Lane is the editor of Breitbart London — Follow him on Twitter and Facebook