The UK authorities will not allow a “disastrous mistake” of halting the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, UK Foreign Minister Boris Johnson will reportedly say in a major speech on Brexit later on Wednesday.
“I fear that some people are becoming ever more determined to stop Brexit, to reverse the referendum vote of 23 June 2016, and to frustrate the will of the people. I believe that would be a disastrous mistake that would lead to permanent and ineradicable feelings of betrayal. We cannot and will not let it happen,” Johnson will say. Excerpts of his speech are published by The Guardian newspaper.
The anti-Brexit position among the UK population has repeatedly been ignored in the past, Johnson will note.
“It is not good enough to say to remainers – you lost, get over it, because we must accept that many are actuated by entirely noble sentiments, a real sense of solidarity with our European neighbors and a desire for the UK to succeed,” Johnson will say.
At the Brexit referendum in 2016, 51.9 percent of UK voters supported leaving the European Union. Recent polls suggest however that the number of those backing the option of remaining in the bloc has increased since then.
The recent study by the ICM pollster for The Guardian showed that those who are in favor of the so-called Remain option represent 51 percent of the respondents, while 49 percent of the UK nationals back the Leave option, meaning Brexit.
Brexit negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union started in June and are due to be completed by the end of March 2019.