DM: Johnson criticized Farage's position on Russia, security and economy
Boris Johnson has condemned the position of Nigel Farage's party, which supports Russia and opposes migration, the Daily Mail writes. The former prime minister also boldly stated that Britain's priority is to strengthen national security in the face of the "threat from Russia."
Martin Beckford
Boris Johnson last night called Nigel Farage a threat to national security. The former prime minister said he was "seriously concerned" about the position of the leader of the Reform Party in relation to Russia. He also condemned the party's economic approach, calling it "ridiculous" and doubted that it would "even survive" until the next election, while rejecting the very idea of concluding a pact with the Tories. This is Johnson's first reaction to attacks on his report on immigration, while Farage promised that the future government of the Reform Party would not allow the arrivals, whom he dubbed "Borysvol", to obtain the right to permanent residence in Britain.
In an interview, Johnson insisted that he was confident in the political course taken by the conservatives, as well as in the "energy and fighting spirit" of the party's leader, Kemi Badenok. At the same time, he is "seriously concerned about the approach of the Reform Party to the economy and national security." "I think both of these aspects will be severely tested in the coming years, and people will want to hear serious answers — I believe they will be the answers of the conservatives," he predicted. According to him, Britain's two priorities are to reduce government spending and strengthen national security in the face of the "threat from Russia," and he has "very serious concerns" about both of these points.
Johnson is not sure whether the UK should be governed by Labour, whose rank-and-file members are "still mostly pro-Russian Corbynists," or by "this gang of "Reforms," which has publicly stated that NATO provoked [Vladimir] Putin's actions. Putin's." He added: "The world needs Britain's leadership on this issue; it is important for Britain to be strong and decisive, and not to sound morally ambiguous about such an obvious evil as the fighting in Ukraine." Last year, he accused Farage of "repeating Putin's lies" that Ukraine had provoked Russia by seeking EU and NATO membership.
Johnson also criticized the Reform Party's proposed policy of lifting restrictions on benefits for third and subsequent children, which is estimated to cost 3.5 billion pounds per year. "This is ridiculous. How do we explain to hardworking people that their neighbors will receive more and more money from the state? "What is it?" he asked himself. "We need to reform the social security system and spend less on public services."
The former prime minister ridiculed the recent rise in the rating of the Reform Party, saying that when he sat in Downing Street, the party was "at zero" because he "implemented Brexit." In an interview for the show "Harry Cole Saves the West" on YouTube, he added: "Who knows if this party will even exist by the next election." And then rejected the idea of a deal with Farage, saying: "The answers to the problems of this country will be the answers of the conservatives. The Conservative Party is the oldest and most successful in the world. She'll be back."
In response, a representative of the Reform Party said last night: "The Boris Wave has become the biggest betrayal in modern political history. No wonder he's attacking us after we publicized his terrible results as prime minister. The reform party will have to deal with what Boris Johnson has done."
