Race to lead Britain out of EU pits old foes

The race to become Britain’s next premier heated up on Sunday as Environment Secretary Michael Gove joined an already crowded field of hopefuls with competing visions of how to finally pull their divided country out of the EU.

Gove’s bid for the leadership in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum scuppered the chances of his one-time ally Boris Johnson, who is also running this time around and is seen as the current favourite.

Whoever is selected in the contest, which is expected to finish in July, will face increasingly frustrated European leaders who say they have made their final offer on Brexit after long and acrimonious talks.

May is bowing out with her legacy in tatters and the country in agony over what to do about the voters’ decision to abandon the European project after more than four decades.

The markets view the risk of Britain crashing out of the EU bloc when the twice-delayed departure date arrives on October 31 as uncomfortably high.

Their main concern is that some of the current frontrunners to head May’s Conservative Party say they will get Brexit done at any cost.

“We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal,” former foreign minister Boris Johnson said Friday in Switzerland.

Johnson’s main challenges will come from former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, who is viewed as an even more committed eurosceptic, as well as Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Gove.

A total of eight MPs have so far declared.

Raab and Hunt announced their candidacies in the Sunday papers. Raab wrote in The Mail on Sunday that “I would prefer that we leave with a deal”.

But “we will not be taken seriously in Brussels unless we are clear that we will walk away on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, if the EU doesn’t budge,” Raab stressed.

 

Race to lead Britain out of EU pits old foes

The race to become Britains next premier heated up on Sunday as Environment Secretary Michael Gove joined an already crowded field of hopefuls with competing visions of how to finally pull their divided country out of the EU. Goves bid for the leadership in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum scuppered the chances of his one-time ally Boris Johnson, who is also running this time around and is seen as the current favourite. Whoever is selected in the contest, which is expected to finish in July, will face increasingly frustrated European leaders who say they have made their final offer on Brexit after long and acrimonious talks. May is bowing out with her legacy in tatters and the country in agony over what to do about the voters decision to abandon the European project after more than four decades. The markets view the risk of Britain crashing out of the EU bloc when the twice-delayed departure date arrives on October 31 as uncomfortably high. Their main concern is that some of the current frontrunners to head Mays Conservative Party say they will get Brexit done at any cost. We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal, former foreign minister Boris Johnson said Friday in Switzerland. Johnsons main challenges will come from former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, who is viewed as an even more committed eurosceptic, as well as Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Gove. A total of eight MPs have so far declared. Raab and Hunt announced their candidacies in the Sunday papers. Raab wrote in The Mail on Sunday that I would prefer that we leave with a deal. But we will not be taken seriously in Brussels unless we are clear that we will walk away on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, if the EU doesnt budge, Raab stressed.