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Boris Johnson vows to challenge EU over Brexit saying he’s ‘depressed’ to see Theresa May roll over to Brussels
BORIS Johnson tonight vowed to play hardball over Brexit - saying he's "depressed" to see Theresa May roll over to Europe's demands.
The would-be next PM even refused to rule out shutting down Parliament to stop Remainer MPs from blocking a No Deal exit.
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Rival Jeremy Hunt tried to challenge him with his own tough line, pledging to push Brussels hard in trade talks so "they need us every bit as much as we need them".
Speaking at a hustings event with activists in Bournemouth this evening, Mr Johnson drew laughs and cheers from the 600-strong crowd while his challenger had a slightly more muted reception.
Vowing to push Brexit through by October 31, Boris blasted: "For the last three years I've been frankly very frustrated.
"I've been depressed in a way to see the way we've tended to run this country down and not believed in ourselves."
He added: "We've gone a long way now going out and asking Brussels for this and that.
"I think it’s time now for a slight difference of approach. I’m very much in favour of dialogue and constant conversation but we've made an extremely generous offer of our £39billion and the treatment of EU citizens.
"There's a very good deal on the table waiting to be done by our European partners.
"When they have a clear answer about what we really want, I think the mood will lighten."
There's a very good deal on the table waiting to be done by our European partners
Boris Johnson
Asked if he would consider proroguing Parliament, suspending the Commons to stop MPs voting against a No Deal Brexit, Mr Johnson refused to rule out the radical plan.
He said: "I'm not attracted to the idea of a No Deal exit from the EU but, you know, I think it would be absolutely folly to rule it out. I think it's an essential tool of our negotiation.
"I don't envisage the circumstances in which it will be necessary to prorogue Parliament, nor am I attracted to that expedient."
After the hustings chair pointed out he had left the option on the table, Boris joked: "A lot of things are on the table. It's a big table."
'BREXIT JUMBO'
Mr Hunt, the outsider in the two-horse race, made his own attempt to talk tough on Brexit to win over the pro-Leave crowd.
He said: "In this country we do what the people tell us, and we're going to deliver Brexit - and when we do, what incredible excitement awaits.
"We are going to put an economic jumbo jet on Europe's doorstep so when it comes to those trade negotiations, they need us every bit as much as we need them."
Asked if he would embrace No Deal, the Foreign Secretary replied: "If we get to October and there is no prospect of a deal that could get through Parliament and No Deal is on the table, as I hope it would be, we would leave."
Mr Hunt also vowed to resign if he failed to "deliver Brexit and deliver it very quickly" - saying his first piece of legislation would be a "No Deal Bill so we can fully prepare this country for a No Deal Brexit".
But he won loud applause when he ruled out any role for Nigel Farage on his Brexit team, saying: "He doesn't want a deal."
They need us every bit as much as we need them
Jeremy Hunt
The two remaining candidates laid out more of their spending plans - Boris said he would lavish £5billion more on education to ensure schools are properly funded.
He praised Chancellors George Osborne and Philip Hammond for driving down the national deficit, but added: "There is now some headroom for spending, there are some taxes you can tax that can yield more income."
Mr Johnson mocked Mr Hunt's plan to wipe out uni debt for graduate students, joking: "I think people, a lot of people, would automatically be defining themselves as entrepreneurs."
The Foreign Secretary hit back: "If we're flooded with people that's brilliant for our country, we should encourage them."
He was booed when he spoke in support of the HS2 rail line, claiming it would help the Tories win support in the Midlands and the North.
And he suggested he would ban petrol-powered cars "in a generation" to curb pollution in Britain's cities.
Most activists entering the hall this evening seemed to be backing Mr Johnson - Matthew Crane from Southampton said: "I'm probably going to vote for Boris at the moment.
"I just think he's got the right ideas and the best thing about him at least he's been consistent from the start not changed his mind halfway through."
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Nick from Aylesbury said: "I've been leaning towards Johnson from the start, I think he's wobbled a little bit, so it's his to lose. I'm a Leaver, I have deep, deep suspicions about Hunt - he's not a true believer, he's just continuity May."
But Philip Stanley-Watts, 60, said: "I feel that Jeremy Hunt should be leader and Prime Minister because he's got the negotiating skills so it's important to get a good deal over Brexit."
The candidates will tomorrow travel to Exeter for another round of hustings giving activists a chance to grill them on their plans.
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