Boris Johnson fends off dwindling PM rivals in TV showdown as he says ‘the British people are thoroughly fed up’
- Former foreign minister keeps his cool on air against four remaining competitors after skipping previous debate on Sunday
- Johnson won 126 of 313 votes in second-round ballot of Conservative Party lawmakers, all but guaranteeing he will be one of final two candidates
Brexit figurehead Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that Britain “must come out” of the EU by the new October deadline, as he defended his runaway lead in the UK leadership race against his four remaining rivals in a TV debate.
The former foreign minister kept his cool and made no evident stumbles after seeing his advantage grow in a second-round ballot held earlier Tuesday by lawmakers from the ruling Conservatives in the lower House of Commons.
Johnson, who had ducked out of a first televised debate on Sunday, cast himself as the one politician able to bring Britain successfully out of the European Union and therefore deliver the Brexit that British voters called for three years ago.
“We must come out on October 31 because otherwise I’m afraid we face a catastrophic loss of confidence in politics,” said Johnson in the hour-long BBC television showdown.
“I think the British people are thoroughly fed up.”
