UK PM ‘deeply disappointed’ after Brexit delay
LONDON British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday apologised for not taking Britain out of the European Union by Oct 31, saying he was "deeply, deeply disappointed".
"It is a matter of deep regret," Mr Johnson told Sky News, before criticising Mr Donald Trump after the US President said the Prime Minister's deal struck with Brussels would prevent a future Britain-US trade agreement.
"I don't wish to cast any aspersions on the President but in that respect he is patently in error," he said.
"Anybody who looks at our deal can see it is a great deal... it allows us to have full unfettered control of our tariff schedule".
Mr Trump on Thursday told his friend Mr Nigel Farage, that "under certain aspects of the deal - you can't do it, you can't trade".
Mr Johnson had vowed he would rather be "dead in a ditch" than tolerate another extension to the tortuous Brexit process, which began in 2016.
Yesterday, he blamed Britain's failure to leave as scheduled on Parliament passing what he called the "Surrender Act". This demanded that the government ask for, and accept, a delay from the EU rather than leave without the deal being ratified.
In a separate development, Mr Farage said he would not stand in next month's election, choosing instead to campaign countywide against Mr Johnson's EU divorce deal.
An ORB poll for the Sunday Telegraph conducted last week puts support for the Conservatives at 36 per cent, Labour at 28 per cent, the Liberal Democrats at 14 per cent and Mr Farage's Brexit Party at 12 per cent. - AFP, REUTERS
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