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| Brexit: Boris Johnson tells EU to choose between his offer or no deal – live news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| From the BBC’s Nick Eardley | |
| PM expected to speak to various European leaders this afternoon about his Brexit offer.MPs will get a chance to see plan this afternoon, but no chance to question ministers until tomorrow. | |
| Most senior politicians take speech-giving seriously, and important moments in their careers are defined by the speeches they gave at the time. With David Cameron, for example, there was the “hug a hoodie” speech that set out his vision for liberal Conservatism, or the 2013 Bloomberg speech that announced a referendum on Europe. The highlights of Theresa May’s career include her “nasty party” speech as Tory chairman, her speech attacking the Police Federation, and her 2016 conference speech as PM setting Britain on course of a hard Brexit. | |
| But Boris Johnson is different. He mostly just gives the same speech every time, and we heard it again today – a jolly confection of jokes meandering around the theme of how Conservatism should be about combining the benefits of a market economy with strong public services, with copious references to his time as London mayor. Even the jokes were old: dispatching Jeremy Corbyn into outer space, SNP leaders having fish surnames, and the line about wind turbines – although, when Johnson said today that “only a few years ago people were saying that … wind turbines would not pull the skin off a rice pudding”, he failed to mention that one of the people using that line was Johnson himself. Essentially, it was just an extended version of one of his Telegraph columns. | |
| On the plus side, Johnson’s Telegraph columns were always worth a read; he can deliver an entertaining speech and the whole performance was more enjoyable than having to listen to Theresa May. People respond well to leaders exuding optimism, not misery, and Johnson certainly manages this. He is not so much a glass half-full sort of person as a glass full-to-overflowing. | |
| But, on the down side, was there any substance to support this inverted pyramid of puff? This was not a speech that made any sort of serious argument about the challenges facing the country, and it did not have anything new to say about domestic policy at all. Surprisingly, given that an election is expected soon, it did not even try to make a very robust case as to why the country would be better off for the next five years under the Conservatives, beyond claiming that Labour would prolong Brexit “chaos” (see 11.33am) – a claim, that in the current circumstances, you would have thought the Tories might have thought twice about wanting to revive. | |
| The most important passage was probably the one summarising Johnson’s Brexit offer to the EU. (See 11.52am.) In a line that sounded desperate, or mildly threatening, Johnson suggested that if the EU rejected his plan, that would just be a “technical” matter relating to “the exact nature of future customs checks”. Doubtless EU leaders will see it very differently. But they might take some consolation from the fact that, although No 10 was briefing last night that the plan being put forward today would be the UK’s “final offer”, Johnson did not use those words in his speech. | |
| Boris Johnson is now leaving the conference hall. He is shaking hands on the way out. Carrie Symonds, his partner, joined him on the way out, but she did not take to the stage. | Boris Johnson is now leaving the conference hall. He is shaking hands on the way out. Carrie Symonds, his partner, joined him on the way out, but she did not take to the stage. |
| Johnson is now on his peroration. | Johnson is now on his peroration. |
| This country has long been a pioneer. We inaugurated the steam age, the atomic age, the age of the genome. We led the way in parliamentary democracy, in female emancipation. And when the whole world had succumbed to a different fashion, this country and this party pioneered ideas of free markets and privatisation that spread across the planet. | This country has long been a pioneer. We inaugurated the steam age, the atomic age, the age of the genome. We led the way in parliamentary democracy, in female emancipation. And when the whole world had succumbed to a different fashion, this country and this party pioneered ideas of free markets and privatisation that spread across the planet. |
| Every one of them was controversial, every one of them was difficult, but we have always had the courage to be original, to do things differently, and now we are about to take another giant step to do something no one thought we could do. | Every one of them was controversial, every one of them was difficult, but we have always had the courage to be original, to do things differently, and now we are about to take another giant step to do something no one thought we could do. |
| To reboot our politics, to relaunch ourselves into the world, and to dedicate ourselves again to that simple proposition that we are here to serve the democratic will of the British people. | To reboot our politics, to relaunch ourselves into the world, and to dedicate ourselves again to that simple proposition that we are here to serve the democratic will of the British people. |
| And if we do that with optimism and confidence then I tell you we will not go wrong. Let’s get on with sensible moderate one nation but tax-cutting Tory government, and figuratively if not literally, let us send Jeremy Corbyn into orbit where he belongs. | And if we do that with optimism and confidence then I tell you we will not go wrong. Let’s get on with sensible moderate one nation but tax-cutting Tory government, and figuratively if not literally, let us send Jeremy Corbyn into orbit where he belongs. |
| Let’s get Brexit done. Let’s bring our country together. | Let’s get Brexit done. Let’s bring our country together. |
| Johnson repeats his attack on Corbyn for wanting to delay Brexit. | Johnson repeats his attack on Corbyn for wanting to delay Brexit. |
| It has become absolutely clear that he is determined now to frustrate Brexit | It has become absolutely clear that he is determined now to frustrate Brexit |
| What do we want and need? Do we want more dither and delay | What do we want and need? Do we want more dither and delay |
| Do we want to spend another billion pounds a month that could be going on the NHS? | Do we want to spend another billion pounds a month that could be going on the NHS? |
| Let’s get Brexit done | Let’s get Brexit done |
| Johnson is setting out the choice facing the country at the election. | Johnson is setting out the choice facing the country at the election. |
| When the chlorinated chickens waddle from the hencoop where they are hiding, that is the vision of the country that we will put to the people. And the choice is clear. | When the chlorinated chickens waddle from the hencoop where they are hiding, that is the vision of the country that we will put to the people. And the choice is clear. |
| We put up wages – with the biggest expansion of the living wage for a generation; Corbyn would put up taxes for everyone. | We put up wages – with the biggest expansion of the living wage for a generation; Corbyn would put up taxes for everyone. |
| We back our superb armed forces around the world; Corbyn has said he wants them disbanded. | We back our superb armed forces around the world; Corbyn has said he wants them disbanded. |
| We want an Australian-style points based system for immigration; Corbyn says he doesn’t even believe in immigration controls. | We want an Australian-style points based system for immigration; Corbyn says he doesn’t even believe in immigration controls. |
| If Jeremy Corbyn were allowed into Downing Street, he would whack up your taxes, he would foul up the economy, he would rip up the alliance between Britain and the USA, and he would break up the UK. | If Jeremy Corbyn were allowed into Downing Street, he would whack up your taxes, he would foul up the economy, he would rip up the alliance between Britain and the USA, and he would break up the UK. |
| We cannot allow it to happen. | We cannot allow it to happen. |
| Johnson turns to life after Brexit. | Johnson turns to life after Brexit. |
| We can ban the shipment of live animals. And yes, we will have those free trade deals. We already have some astonishing exports. Just in the last few months I have seen an Isle of Wight shipbuilder that exports vast leisure catamarans to Mexico. We export Jason Donovan CDs to North Korea. We exported Nigel Farage to America – though he seems to have come back. | We can ban the shipment of live animals. And yes, we will have those free trade deals. We already have some astonishing exports. Just in the last few months I have seen an Isle of Wight shipbuilder that exports vast leisure catamarans to Mexico. We export Jason Donovan CDs to North Korea. We exported Nigel Farage to America – though he seems to have come back. |
| And across the world there are countries that are yearning to engage with us. | And across the world there are countries that are yearning to engage with us. |
| Johnson jokes about the SNP too. | Johnson jokes about the SNP too. |
| We will take back control of our fisheries and the extraordinary marine wealth of Scotland. | We will take back control of our fisheries and the extraordinary marine wealth of Scotland. |
| And it is one of the many bizarre features of the SNP that in spite of being called names like Salmond and Sturgeon they are committed to handing back those fish to the control of the EU. | And it is one of the many bizarre features of the SNP that in spite of being called names like Salmond and Sturgeon they are committed to handing back those fish to the control of the EU. |
| We want to turbo-charge the Scottish fishing sector; they would allow Brussels to charge for our turbot. | We want to turbo-charge the Scottish fishing sector; they would allow Brussels to charge for our turbot. |
| This leads to a joke about Jeremy Corbyn | This leads to a joke about Jeremy Corbyn |
| We are building two space ports, one in Sutherland and one in Newquay. Soon we will be sending missions to the heavens – geostationary satellites. | We are building two space ports, one in Sutherland and one in Newquay. Soon we will be sending missions to the heavens – geostationary satellites. |
| Conference, can you think of anyone who could trial the next mission? | Conference, can you think of anyone who could trial the next mission? |
| Can you think which communist cosmonaut to coax into the cockpit? | Can you think which communist cosmonaut to coax into the cockpit? |
| Johnson turns this into an argument about confidence. | Johnson turns this into an argument about confidence. |
| I do not for one moment doubt the patriotism of people on all sides of this Brexit argument but I am fed up with being told that our country can’t do something when I believe passionately that it can. | I do not for one moment doubt the patriotism of people on all sides of this Brexit argument but I am fed up with being told that our country can’t do something when I believe passionately that it can. |
| Thanks to British technology there is a place in Oxfordshire that could soon be the hottest place in the solar system – the tokamak fusion reactor in Culham – and if you go there you will learn that this country has a global lead in fusion research. | Thanks to British technology there is a place in Oxfordshire that could soon be the hottest place in the solar system – the tokamak fusion reactor in Culham – and if you go there you will learn that this country has a global lead in fusion research. |
| And that they are on the verge of creating commercially viable miniature fusion reactors for sale around the world, delivering virtually unlimited zero-carbon power. | And that they are on the verge of creating commercially viable miniature fusion reactors for sale around the world, delivering virtually unlimited zero-carbon power. |
| Now I know they have been on the verge for some time. It is a pretty spacious kind of verge. But remember, it was only a few years ago when people were saying that solar power would never work in cloudy old Britain. And that wind turbines would not pull the skin off a rice pudding. | Now I know they have been on the verge for some time. It is a pretty spacious kind of verge. But remember, it was only a few years ago when people were saying that solar power would never work in cloudy old Britain. And that wind turbines would not pull the skin off a rice pudding. |
| Well, there are some days when wind and solar are delivering more than half our energy needs. | Well, there are some days when wind and solar are delivering more than half our energy needs. |
| We can do it. We can beat the sceptics. | We can do it. We can beat the sceptics. |
| Johnson says he wants to get more young people on the housing ladder. He urges Tories to back Shaun Bailey, the party’s candidate for London mayor. | Johnson says he wants to get more young people on the housing ladder. He urges Tories to back Shaun Bailey, the party’s candidate for London mayor. |
| And he turns to technology. | And he turns to technology. |
| In the West Midlands we are seeing a 21st-century industrial revolution in battery technology. One in five of the electric cars sold in Europe is now made in the UK and that is before we have begun Andy Street’s vision of a West Midlands metro. | In the West Midlands we are seeing a 21st-century industrial revolution in battery technology. One in five of the electric cars sold in Europe is now made in the UK and that is before we have begun Andy Street’s vision of a West Midlands metro. |
| With infrastructure education and technology we will drive up the productivity of this country and bring it together. | With infrastructure education and technology we will drive up the productivity of this country and bring it together. |
| Johnson says he wants to expand superfast broadband for the same reason. | Johnson says he wants to expand superfast broadband for the same reason. |
| And it is for exactly the same reason – to increase connectivity and liveability - that we are putting in gigabit broadband, spreading across the country like tendrils of superinformative vermicelli. | And it is for exactly the same reason – to increase connectivity and liveability - that we are putting in gigabit broadband, spreading across the country like tendrils of superinformative vermicelli. |
| Because that is the way to unite the country, to spread opportunity, to bring the country together. | Because that is the way to unite the country, to spread opportunity, to bring the country together. |
| Johnson says the government will invest in youth services and in education. Education funding is being levelled up. | Johnson says the government will invest in youth services and in education. Education funding is being levelled up. |
| The government will invest in transport, he says. And he turns to buses. (See 8.46am.) | The government will invest in transport, he says. And he turns to buses. (See 8.46am.) |
| And yes I admit I am a bit of a bus nut. I confess that I like to make and paint inexact models of buses with happy passengers inside. | And yes I admit I am a bit of a bus nut. I confess that I like to make and paint inexact models of buses with happy passengers inside. |
| But it is not just because i am a bus nut that we want to expand bus transport with clean, green buses and contactless payment by card or phone. | But it is not just because i am a bus nut that we want to expand bus transport with clean, green buses and contactless payment by card or phone. |
| a good bus service can make all the difference to your job. To your life. To your ability to get to the doctor. To the liveability of your town or your village. And to your ability to stay there and have a family there and start a business there. | a good bus service can make all the difference to your job. To your life. To your ability to get to the doctor. To the liveability of your town or your village. And to your ability to stay there and have a family there and start a business there. |
| Back in Manchester, Johnson says to spread opportunity the government must keep people safe. | Back in Manchester, Johnson says to spread opportunity the government must keep people safe. |
| We are committing now to rolling up the evil county lines drugs gangs that predate on young kids and send them to die in the streets to feed the cocaine habits of the bourgeoisie and we will succeed. | We are committing now to rolling up the evil county lines drugs gangs that predate on young kids and send them to die in the streets to feed the cocaine habits of the bourgeoisie and we will succeed. |
| And yes, we will be tough on crime. We will make sure that the police have the legal powers and the political backing to use stop and search because it may be controversial. But believe me that when a young man is going equipped with a bladed weapon there is nothing kinder or more loving or more life-saving you can do than ask him to turn out his pockets. | And yes, we will be tough on crime. We will make sure that the police have the legal powers and the political backing to use stop and search because it may be controversial. But believe me that when a young man is going equipped with a bladed weapon there is nothing kinder or more loving or more life-saving you can do than ask him to turn out his pockets. |
| If you want to watch PMQs, there is a live feed here: | If you want to watch PMQs, there is a live feed here: |
| Johnson says London is a model for a place with “dynamic enterprise culture and great public services”. | Johnson says London is a model for a place with “dynamic enterprise culture and great public services”. |