Boris Johnson reportedly said there may be a Brexit “meltdown”, adding that Britain is entering a phase where the country will become “much more combative with Brussels,” according to a recent report by Buzzfeed.
An audio recording at a closed-door gathering at the Institute of Directors in London, where the foreign secretary was speaking to a group of around 20 people, was obtained by BuzzFeed News.
Johnson said Prime Minister Theresa May was “going to go into a phase where we are much more combative with Brussels.”
He added: “You’ve got to face the fact that there may now be a meltdown. OK? I don’t want anybody to panic during the meltdown. No panic. Pro bono publico, no bloody panic. It’s going to be all right in the end.”
Johnson also suggested that Philip Hammond’s department was “basically the heart of Remain”.
When asked about Donald Trump the foreign secretary made positive comments about the US President.
“I am increasingly admiring of Donald Trump,” Johnson said. “I have become more and more convinced that there is method in his madness.”
“Imagine Trump doing Brexit,” Johnson said. “He’d go in bloody hard… There’d be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos. Everyone would think he’d gone mad. But actually, you might get somewhere. It’s a very, very good thought.”
Johnson also said that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had asked Britain for help in dismantling North Korean nuclear weapons.