LONDON, July 24. /TASS/. New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that the UK will leave the European Union in any case on October 31 in his first speech as the head of government.
"We are going to fulfill the repeated promises of parliament to the people and come out of the EU on October 31, no ifs or buts," he said in front of 10 Downing Street.
The new British PM has also pointed to the need to agree on a new Brexit agreement with Brussels.
He expressed certainty that in the course of talks with the European leaders he will be able to secure a new deal, which would meet the interests of the country better than the deal that was agreed by his predecessor Theresa May’s government and Brussels.
"We will do a new deal, a better deal that will maximize the opportunities of Brexit while allowing us to develop a new and exciting partnership with the rest of Europe based on free trade and mutual support. I have every confidence that in 99 days’ time we will have cracked it. But you know what — we aren’t going to wait 99 days because the British people have had enough of waiting. The time has come to act, to take decisions, to give strong leadership and to change this country for the better," he said.
At the same time, he stressed that the possibility of no-deal is "remote", however, if it is implemented, the UK would keep the 39 billion pounds ($48.7 billion), which the country pledged to pay to the EU for Brexit.
Brussels, nevertheless, continues to stand its ground, saying that the Brexit deal is not up for renegotiation even if the UK leadership and government change. However, Johnson insists that all the opponents who criticize his stance, do not believe in the possibility of signing a new agreement with the EU or predict long-term economic struggles for Great Britain in case the country exits the EU without a deal, will be proved wrong in the end.
Johnson thanked Theresa May for her work to implement Brexit, which he believed failed because of the resistance in the United Kingdom generated by "doubters, doomsters and gloomsters." According to him, the government now needs to honor the democratic mandate of the 2016 referendum on the UK membership in the EU.
"I pay tribute to the fortitude and patience of my predecessor and her deep sense of public service. But in spite of all her efforts, it has become clear that there are pessimists at home and abroad who think that after three years of indecision this country has become a prisoner to the old arguments of 2016 and that in this home of democracy we are incapable of honoring a basic democratic mandate. And so I am standing before you today to tell you, the British people, that those critics are wrong," the new prime minister said.
Johnson arrived at Downing Street from the Buckingham Palace where Queen Elizabeth II authorized him to form a new government. On Tuesday, Johnson emerged victorious in the race to lead the Conservative Party.
Johnson emerged victorious in the Tory leadership election on Tuesday and assumed the office of the prime minister immediately after Theresa May officially left office on Wednesday. On May 24, May announced that she would step down as the leader of the Conservative Party and after the Tory leadership contest ended, she also resigned as the Prime Minister due to her inability to take the country out of the European Union. She brought her withdrawal deal before the Parliament three times and each time she failed. These House of Commons’ actions subverted the originally planned UK’s exit from the EU on March 29, 2019. Then, Brussels agreed to extend Brexit two times, first to April-May and later to October 31.