Stanley Johnson has admitted he might be “tempted” to vote Labour at the next general election.
Stanley, the father of former Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said he would vote for any party willing to “bring the UK back into the European Environment Agency”.
Pressed by GB News presenter Camilla Tominey about Sir Keir Starmer “almost” siding with him on the matter, Johnson said the Labour leader has “not said that, but he needs to do so”.
Asked whether he would side with Labour should Starmer commit to rejoining the agency, he said: “I might well do that.”
Stanley Johnson said he ‘might well’ back Sir Keir Starmer at the election
GB NEWS
Despite his son playing a pivotal role in securing a future outside of the bloc for the UK, Stanley is keen to “build bridges” with the EU once more.
“We need a coherent policy to rebuild bridges with the EU’, he said.
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Stanley Johnson joined Camilla Tominey on GB News
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“It seems absolutely absurd to me, now we have come out, we must more and more separate ourselves out.
“I’m now in a bridge-building mode. I would vote for any political party now that would put the UK back in the European Environment Agency.”
Regarding his appearance on the show, Stanley issued this statement to GB News: “On the GBN Camilla Tominey show this morning, Stanley Johnson says he would vote for any political party, including Labour, which gives a clear commitment to take the UK back into the European Environment Agency, open to non-EU members, and puts environmental policy and the need to rebuild bridges with Europe at the heart of its manifesto for the next election.”
It was claimed in January that Labour’s plans for a deal with the EU to ease the impact of post-Brexit checks would “probably” result in the UK accepting alignment with EU rules.
The bloc’s ambassador said the EU was “favourable” to the idea of striking an agreement with the UK on the matter, but certain “modalities” would come with it.
“We’ve always been rather favourable to, or responded positively to the possibility of an SPS type of agreement, which we think may facilitate trade,” Serrano told an event hosted by the UK In a Changing Europe think tank.
“Of course, an SPS agreement entails modalities that, well, let’s see whether the U.K. is interested in those modalities or not — because it would entail, probably, dynamic alignment, and things of this sort.”
Starmer has vowed not to allow the UK becoming a “rule-taker” on issues of regulation.
He said in September there is “no case” for going back into the EU, adding “that includes the single market and customs union”.
However, he added: “But that does not mean that a Labour government wants to lower standards on food, wants to lower standards on people’s rights at work.
“The Labour Party has been completely consistent on those issues for many years – there is no surprise here. Incidentally, this is also government policy.”
Source Agencies
