Cameron says Boris Johnson simply ‘got it wrong’ on EU referendum
David Cameron has said Boris Johnson is still one of his great friends but has simply “got it wrong” on the issue of the EU referendum by declaring he wants the UK to leave.
The prime minister was pressed on his personal relationship with the London mayor after he launched a blistering attack on Monday on Johnson’s idea that a vote to leave the EU could lead to a further negotiation and second referendum.
Speaking at the headquarters of O2 in Slough, Cameron said he understood Johnson’s decision but he was disappointed, and strongly believes it was the wrong conclusion.
In a question about Johnson, he also heavily emphasised his own experience of being prime minister for six years, implying that the mayor of London did not have as great an insight on matters of national security.
“I have been thinking about it very, very deeply and all the things I have learned over the last six years as prime minister,” he said to an audience of hundreds of workers.
“I think six, 10, 15 years ago, I don’t think I believed Europe was quite so important to our security as I believe it is now,” he said, citing Syria, the migration crisis, Iran’s nuclear programme and economic crises as issues on which it was vital to be at the table in Brussels.
“I have huge respect for Boris as a politician and he is a great friend of mine, and he is a fantastic mayor of London. I think he has a lot to give to the Conservative party and to this country, but on this issue I think he has got it wrong and reached the wrong conclusion.”
