Following are excerpts from leading Leave campaigner Boris Johnson’s article in The Daily Telegraph newspaper on Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, the economy and what the future holds. Annotations are from Fortune.
On the Brexit vote:
“It is said that those who voted Leave were mainly driven by anxieties about immigration. I do not believe that is so. After meeting thousands of people in the course of the campaign, I can tell you that the number one issue was control – a sense that British democracy was being undermined by the EU system, and that we should restore to the people that vital power: to kick out their rulers at elections, and to choose new ones.”
“I believe that millions of people who voted Leave were also inspired by the belief that Britain is a great country, and that outside the job-destroying coils of EU bureaucracy we can survive and thrive as never before (Editor’s Note: employment in the U.K. is at an all-time high according to official data, and the unemployment rate, at 5%, is at an 11-year low). I think that they are right in their analysis, and right in their choice. And yet we who agreed with this majority verdict must accept that it was not entirely overwhelming.”
On Scotland:
“We had one Scotland referendum in 2014, and I do not detect any real appetite to have another one soon.” (Editor’s note: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Friday her government would immediately start preparing legislation for a second referendum on independence rather than be taken out of the EU against its will, in line with her party’s manifesto pledge at elections earlier this year.)
On those who voted Remain:
“There were more than 16 million who wanted to remain. They are our neighbours, brothers and sisters who did what they passionately believe was right. In a democracy, majorities may decide but everyone is of equal value. We who are part of this narrow majority must do everything we can to reassure the Remainers. We must reach out, we must heal, we must build bridges – because it is clear that some have feelings of dismay, and of loss, and confusion.
On the economy:
“The economy is in good hands. Most sensible people can see that Bank of England governor Mark Carney has done a superb job – and now that the referendum is over, he will be able to continue his work without being in the political firing-line. Thanks in large part to the reforms put in place by David Cameron and George Osborne, the fundamentals of the U.K. economy are outstandingly strong – a dynamic and outward-looking economy with an ever-improving skills base, and with a big lead in some of the key growth sectors of the 21st century.”
“At home and abroad, the negative consequences are being wildly overdone, and the upside is being ignored. The stock market is way above its level of last autumn; the pound remains higher than it was in 2013 and 2014 (Editor’s note: the pound is higher against the euro than in 2013 and 2014; the sterling index, which measures the pound’s value against all its major trading partners, is at a multi-year low, and was even at the time Johnson wrote the article).
On immigration:
“British people will still be able to go and work in the EU; to live; to travel; to study; to buy homes and to settle down (Editor’s note: under existing E.U. law, these rights are given only to members of the E.U.’s Single Market; they come with the obligation of accepting the free movement of labor, something the Leave campaign opposed. See also following claim on immigration policy) . As the German equivalent of the CBI – the BDI – has very sensibly reminded us, there will continue to be free trade, and access to the single market. Britain is and always will be a great European power, offering top-table opinions and giving leadership on everything from foreign policy to defence to counter-terrorism and intelligence-sharing – all the things we need to do together to make our world safer.”
“Yes, the Government will be able to take back democratic control of immigration policy, with a balanced and humane points-based system to suit the needs of business and industry.”
On Britain’s exit negotiation:
“The only change – and it will not come in any great rush – is that the U.K. will extricate itself from the EU’s extraordinary and opaque system of legislation.”
On the future:
“There is every cause for optimism; a Britain rebooted, reset, renewed and able to engage with the whole world. This was a seismic campaign whose lessons must be learnt by politicians at home and abroad. We heard the voices of millions of the forgotten people, who have seen no real increase in their incomes, while FTSE-100 chiefs now earn 150 times the average pay of their employees. We must pursue actively the one-nation policies that are among David Cameron’s fine legacy, such as his campaigns on the Living Wage and Life Chances. There is no doubt that many were speaking up for themselves.
“But they were also speaking up for democracy, and the verdict of history will be that the British people got it right.”
