The politicians who helped precipitate Boris Johnson’s downfall and are now vying to replace him as British prime minister have spoken about the need for honesty, realism and integrity .
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comLONDON, July 11 - The politicians who helped precipitate Boris Johnson’s downfall and are nowas British prime minister have spoken about the need for honesty, realism and integrity.
For example, Rishi Sunak, the former finance minister who is now the front-runner, stressed the need for “honesty, seriousness and determination” rather than “fairy-tales” in his campaign video. Sajid Javid, the former health minister, gave pride of place to “integrity” in his . If they and other wannabe prime ministers mean what they say, they should start with these five points:You can’t be honest if you don’t tell the truth about the government’s most important policy: Brexit . Some of those who argued for leaving the European Union were prepared to take a hit to the economy and the UK’s influence in the world. But many voters were convinced Brexit would make Britain richer and more powerful. It hasn’t.
There are two UK policies that threaten to break it. First, the legislation the government is pushing through parliament that would give Britain the right unilaterally to rip up parts of its EU withdrawal agreement relating to Northern Ireland. Second, its plan to send asylum-seekers who illegally cross the English Channel in small boats to Rwanda.
A new prime minister who is serious about integrity could not do either of these things. They would have to find other ways to manage the borders in the Irish Sea and the Channel. In both cases, this would mean negotiating with, rather than threatening, EU neighbours.You can’t claim to be realistic about anything unless you are straight about the nation’s finances. They’re not good. Government borrowing is approaching 100% of GDP.
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