Tory MP Boris Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson, has hinted that he would vote Labour on one condition, the Party rebuilds bridges with the EU, the organization that his own fought to get the UK out of.
Stanley Johnson’s Political Shock
Stanley Johnson, the father of former Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has hinted that he will go against his own son’s Party for the first time, admitting a vote for Labour could be on the cards.Johnson slammed the Tory Party’s environmental policies, arguing that his vote for Labour would depend on their stance regarding rejoining the EEA (European Environment Agency.)
The European Environment Agency (EEA) is one of the organizations that the UK left after the Brexit deal was negotiated by none other than Stanley Johnson’s son, Boris Johnson. Stanley Johnson went against his own son’s negotiations, declaring, “Bring the UK back into the European Environment Agency.”
Johnson’s Changed Stance on Labour
At first, Johnson was adamant that he would not be voting for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, saying “Nothing would tempt me to vote Labour,” although he quickly changed his tune.
Stanley Johnson was pushed further on the matter, eventually admitting that he would vote for Labour if they attempted to make up for the cut ties with Europe that his own son negotiated.
Johnson admitted “What would tempt me (to vote Labour) is a coherent policy now to rebuild bridges with Europe,” citing the EU’s environmental policies as a major factor.
“Absurd” to Move Away From EU Policy
Johnson called the idea of moving “more and more” out from the EU’s policies “absurd” and suggested that he would give his vote to a Party that understands that. Stanley Johnson said that he would vote for “any” political Party that admits “‘I want to bring the UK back into the European Environment Agency.’”
Johnson admitted that he is in “Bridge-building mode” despite his son, Boris Johnson, being voted in as Prime Minister by the Tory Party to negotiate a deal to leave the EU.
Boris Johnson was voted to negotiate a Brexit deal after former Prime Minister Theresa May had her deal offers rejected three times by the Home Office.
May’s Resignation Announcement
May resigned from her position as Prime Minister three years after taking up the role due to her negotiations on Brexit falling through. She also recently announced her resignation from being an MP after 27 years.
Despite Stanley Johnson’s calls for rebuilding ties with Europe, so far Labour and its leader Sir Keir Starmer have not pledged any kind of commitment to the cause.
However, when Johnson was asked whether he would vote for Labour if Starmer announced plans to rebuild ties with the EU, Johnson said “Well I might well. I tell you something I might.”
UK Will Not Rejoin EU, Starmer Says
Starmer admitted last year that Labour would not consider rejoining the EU, although admitted that the UK will not become a “rule-taker” and “that includes the single market and customs union”.
Despite this, Starmer admitted that the EU’s policies are similar to the ideas of the Labour Party, suggesting that the Party will ensure workers’ rights and high food standards.
Starmer admitted, “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.”
Johnson Family Ties
Stanley Johnson’s family are notoriously Conservative, meaning that previously, the idea of voting Labour was out of the question, but now he has admitted he’s willing to break the tradition.
Johnson asked the question, “What is more important in the end? A political party or some absolutely massively important topic, which is the environment,” before admitting the latter is what matters most.
Stanley Johnson’s hint at voting Labour is another sign that the public’s confidence in the Conservatives could be at an all-time low, with polls anticipating a landslide defeat in the general election.
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