New U.K. Prime Minister Johnson Faces Same Old Brexit Problems
- Brexiteer Conservatives fear premier is betraying them
- MPs warn leader not to go back on his campaign promises
Boris Johnson, U.K. prime minister, waves as he enters number 10 Downing Street in London on July 24, 2019.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Less than 24 hours after Boris Johnson walked into 10 Downing Street, some of his Brexiteer supporters were already worried he was going to betray them.
One senior member of the European Research Group, a caucus of Tory MPs pushing for a hard Brexit, said he is concerned the new prime minister is adopting a “lipstick on a pig strategy’’ -- trying to bring back the Brexit deal his predecessor negotiated with European Union with cosmetic changes to get it through Parliament. Brexiteers hate the agreement, which they argue keeps the U.K. too closely aligned to the bloc.