Boris ducks questions about girlfriend row in first interview since controversy

The frontrunner in the race to be the next prime minister Boris Johnson has refused to discuss a lovers’ spat at his girlfriend’s flat on Friday night in his first interview since the incident but instead stuck to his line that he will deliver Brexit by October 31st, 2019.
Speaking to BBC News at Ten on Monday, Johnson, who is trying to shake off the reports he had a blazing row with Carrie Symonds that led to the police being called, said that he would “make sure that we have a plan that will convince our European friends and partners we are absolutely serious about coming out [of the EU].
He said he did not want the UK to leave with no deal and he didn’t believe “for a moment” the UK would end up there but the “common sense” thing to do “ to get the result we want” is to seriously prepare for a WTO Brexit (an exit from the EU that leaves the UK trading with the EU on WTO terms.)
Asked about the noisy altercation on Friday night, he said “I’ve made it a rule over many many years, I do not talk about stuff involving my family, my loved ones. There is a very good reason for that. That is that if you do, the minute you start talking about your family or your loved ones, you involve them in a debate that is simply unfair on them. People want to know is what is going on with this guy,” he said referring to himself. “Does he deliver?
He said issues such as the solution to the Northern Irish border question – which had caused Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement to be rejected by MPs three times – could be tackled.
European leaders have stated there can be no withdrawal agreement without the backstop (the insurance policy to ensure no hard border).
“You are going to need some kind of agreement, that’s what I am aiming for, to get an implementation period,” he said. “You need to take the bits of the current withdrawal agreement that are serviceable and get them done and take out the bits that are dead,” he added.
Justifying his optimism his deal would get passed, he said: “Politics has changed so much since March 29th, referring to the initial date the UK was meant to leave the EU. “They got the Brexit MEPs they don't particularly want. They want us out, they've got the incentive of the money.” But he said there should be “creative ambiguity about when and how” the £39 billion the UK owes the EU in its Brexit divorce bill gets paid.
“I think on both sides of the Channel since 29 March there is a really different understanding of what is needed. And on our side of the Channel we've got MPs in both the major parties who recognise that their parties face a real danger of extinction at the polls unless we get Brexit over the line,” he said.
“Nobody wants a hard border in Northern Ireland and nobody believes it will be necessary. There are abundant technical fixes that can be introduced to make sure you don’t have to have checks at the border. There is no single magic bullet but there is a wealth of experience and wealth of solutions and what has changed now is there is a real positive energy about getting it done.”
“The UK government is not going to want to impose tariffs on goods coming into the UK” he added.
Referring to his controversial comments comparing Muslims dressed in burqas to bank robbers and saying Commonwealth citizens are “flag-waving piccaninnies”, he said: “What I pledge to you is I will be a politician who sticks by what I believe. Yes, occasionally I may say things that may cause offence and I am sorry for the offence. But I will continue to speak to my mind because people deserve to hear what’s going on in my head.”
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References

1. ^{^} Boris Johnson (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
2. ^{^} Brexit (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
3. ^{^} BBC News (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
4. ^{^} Northern Ireland (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

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