Johnson Woos Hard Brexiters as Gove Eclipsed by Cocaine Woes
- Front-runner Johnson pledges to leave Oct. 31, deal or no deal
- Hunt says it’s ‘unwise’ to stick rigidly to Brexit deadline
This article is for subscribers only.
Boris Johnson, the front-runner to succeed Theresa May as U.K. prime minister, pledged a hard line on Brexit -- including the option of leaving without a deal -- as contenders to lead the Conservative Party sought support before the list of candidates is finalized on Monday.
Johnson, who also said he would scrap the Irish border backstop and withhold 39 billion pounds ($50 billion) owed to the European Union until an agreement is reached, was helped by the discomfort of Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who saw his campaign submerged under revelations that he used cocaine decades ago.