Donald Trump would do a better job of Brexit than Theresa May, Boris Johnson hints in explosive speech
The Foreign Secretary also admitted there could be a 'meltdown' in talks with the EU
DONALD Trump would be better at handling Brexit than Theresa May, Boris Johnson has suggested.
In an extraordinary outburst, the Foreign Secretary said "you might get somewhere" if the bombastic US President were in charge of negotiations.
And he also admitted there's likely to be a "meltdown" in talks with the EU as the arguments get increasingly fiery.
The comments - made to Tory activists behind closed doors and - are likely to enrage Number 10.
They come after Mrs May was locked in combat with Brexit Secretary David Davis over the terms of a so-called "backstop" for the Northern Ireland border.
Speaking at a private dinner last night, Boris said: "I am increasingly admiring of Donald Trump. I have become more and more convinced that there is method in his madness.
"Imagine Trump doing Brexit. He’d go in bloody hard... There’d be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos.
"Everyone would think he’d gone mad. But actually you might get somewhere. It’s a very, very good thought."
Mr Johnson has previously criticised the President - saying he would avoid New York in case he bumped in to Mr Trump.
During the dinner, he admitted that Brexiteers could be left disappointed by the final deal Britain strikes with the EU.
He insisted Brexit would be "irreversible", but added: "The risk is that it will not be the one we want."
Mr Johnson also said: “I think Theresa is going to go into a phase where we are much more combative with Brussels.
"You’ve got to face the fact there may now be a meltdown. I don’t want anybody to panic during the meltdown... It’s going to be all right in the end."
Urging the PM to back the Max Fac option of using technology to solve the issue of the Northern Ireland border, Boris said: “Concentrate on maximum facilitation. Solve the technical problem.
“We can easily find a solution that allows us to have trade that is as frictionless as possible, while still being able to do free trade deals.”
In his speech he also accused Philip Hammond’s Treasury of being “the heart of Remain”.
He accused the Chancellor of wanting a Brexit that “does as little change as possible” — saying his vision to keep Britain close to the EU’s customs regime would be the “worst of both worlds”.
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Boris warned: “The risk is, you will end up in an anteroom of the EU having no real freedom on trade policy or regulatory framework.”
Admitting tensions within government, he said: “I’m not going to hide it from you. There is an argument going on.”
Boris’s comments will enrage Mrs May, coming hours before she is due to meet Trump at the G7 in Canada. But one delighted senior backbencher urged: “He should say it publicly.”
And he criticised ministers and civil servants who are worried about economic disruption after Brexit.
A source close to Boris said tonight: "This was a private dinner under Chatham House rules so it is sad and very disappointing that it has been covertly recorded and distributed to the media."
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