Boris Johnson suspected Macron was 'weaponising' Channel migrants to punish UK for Brexit

29 September 2024, 23:28

Boris Johnson suspected that French President Emmanuel Macron was weaponising the Channel small boats crisis to punish Britain for Brexit.
Boris Johnson suspected that French President Emmanuel Macron was weaponising the Channel small boats crisis to punish Britain for Brexit. Picture: Alamy

By Chay Quinn

Boris Johnson says he suspected that French President Emmanuel Macron was weaponising the Channel small boats crisis to punish Britain for Brexit.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

In Mr Johnson new book Unleashed, he said that there were "a host of issues where, given the chance, [Macron] would not hesitate to put his Cuban-heeled bootee into Brexit Britain".

Boris said that the president saw Brexit as a "a terrible snub to the EU and to his view of the world" as negotiations over the UK's withdrawal from the bloc continued.

Read More: Boris Johnson: 'I’m not sure Covid lockdowns worked during pandemic'

Read More: Boris Johnson reveals secret plot to invade Holland and seize Covid vaccines

Of Macron, Mr Johnson says it became clear he "really meant it when he said Brexit Britain must be punished".

On small boats, the former Prime Minister said: "It seemed at least possible to me that he was weaponising the problem".

In the latest extracts from the memoir, which are being Mr Johnson also revealed that his long-time friend and rival David Cameron warned him he would "f*** you up for ever" if he campaigned to leave the EU.

Mr Johnson previously sensationally said that lockdowns certainly “had some effect” but added he has doubts whether they made a tangible difference.

Biarritz, France. 24th August 2019. Emmanuel Macron (l),
In Mr Johnson new book Unleashed, he said that there were "a host of issues where, given the chance, [Macron] would not hesitate to put his Cuban-heeled bootee into Brexit Britain". Picture: Alamy

He said: “There were always two waves, whether you were in China, where lockdowns were ruthlessly enforced, or Sweden, where they took a more voluntary approach.”

“Maybe there are limits to human agency,” the extract continued.

"Maybe it isn’t possible for government action to repel the waves of a highly contagious disease, any more than it is possible to repel the tide of the Thames.

“I am not saying that lockdowns achieved nothing; I am sure they had some effect.

“But were they decisive in beating back the disease, turning that wave down?

"All I can say is that I am no longer sure.”

Boris Johnson during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Boris Johnson during the Covid-19 pandemic. Picture: Getty

This comes after Chris Whitty told the Covid inquiry that some onlookers might say the UK overstated the risk that the virus posed to the public at the start of the pandemic.

Prof Whitty, the UK's chief medical officer, said he still worries about whether the government and its advisers found the right balance between public protections and personal freedoms.

He said: “I was worried at the beginning. I still worry, actually in retrospect, about whether we got the level of concern right,” he said.

“Were we either over pitching it so that people were incredibly afraid of something where in fact, their actuarial risk was low, or we were not pitching it enough and therefore people didn’t realise the risk they were walking into.

“I think that balance is really hard, and arguably, some people would say we, if anything we overdid it, rather than under [at] the beginning.”

But he said that the arguments against widespread Covid restrictions were "obviously not true", and said that they should not be followed in any future pandemic - "unless you can demonstrate it."

Chris Whitty Appears At The Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 3 Hearings
Chris Whitty Appears At The Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 3 Hearings. Picture: Getty

He added: "I think we probably should have been swifter off the mark in spotting long Covid as it emerged, although I think we were relatively quick and it wasn't obvious, we could have done something different as a result.

"The main thing we could do at the beginning, before we understood it slightly better, was to reduce the amount of Covid. If you don't get Covid, you don't get long Covid."

Discussing the shielding of elderly and vulnerable people, Prof Whitty said the policy had pluses and minuses.

He said: "I think it was beneficial in one way, harming another way, and uncertain in a third."

Asked if he would consider a similar approach in a future pandemic, he added: "There are two things I would definitely do. I think shielding, I'm unsure about, it would depend on the situation.

"I definitely think that the risk classification is really important because there are many other things that flow from them. And indeed, you don't know what will flow from them always when you do it.

"And secondly, I do think it's important to put in place a mechanism to support people who rationally have chosen to take themselves out of society, to better their ability to protect themselves.

"Whether the particular approach to shielding we took is an appropriate one to use, again, in respiratory infection, I honestly don't know."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Sisters Eliza and Henrietta Huszti.

Cause of death revealed after missing sisters found in Scotland river

Almost a third of children have refused to go to school, at least one, in the past year.

Education secretary warns of school absence 'epidemic' as a third of children have tried to miss school this year

Prosper admitted killing his mother and two siblings

Teenager who admitted killing his mother and siblings in Luton flat was planning a school shooting, police reveal

Miquita Oliver shar

TV presenter Miquita Oliver reveals first kiss was with infamous ISIS Beatle 'Jihadi George'

Roberta Flack On Stage At Park West

'Killing Me Softly' singer and R&B icon Roberta Flack dies aged 88

Arsenal fans celebrate after they score, Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Met police officer sacked for 'football hooliganism' after throwing flare at Arsenal match

Louisa (Lulu) Palmisano.

Pictured: 'Sweet, kind and generous' girl, 3, killed in crash involving van and tram as man, 36, arrested

Near-Earth asteroid, artwork

NASA gives major update on massive 'city killer' asteroid 'the size of Big Ben' striking earth and it's good news

Prosper pleaded guilty to all six charges at Luton Crown Court

Man, 19, admits murdering his mother, sister and brother in Luton flat

Ozempic and Wegovy, injectable prescription weight loss medicines.

Fresh concerns over weight-loss jabs as medication linked to dozens of deaths

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for an investigation into the BBC Gaza documentary.

Kemi Badenoch calls for investigation into BBC Gaza documentary featuring grandson of Hamas founder

Chants of “f*** the feds” could be heard as the boys took control of the emergency vehicle.

GenZ mob run riot for TikTok stunt and swarm police cars during ‘free pop-up’ by streetwear clothing brands

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Ashbourne, Derbyshire,

Boy, 15, arrested after school forced into lockdown after student 'behaving aggressively and threatening staff'

The Runcorn and Helsby MP has been sitting as an independent since he was suspended following his arrest in October

MP Mike Amesbury jailed for 10 weeks for punching man in street in 'unprovoked drunken' assault

Speaking via video link to a Kyiv conference, the Prime Minister reaffirmed that Britain is ready to commit British troops on the ground in Ukraine in order to maintain peace.

'Russia doesn't hold all the cards', Starmer says, as he tells Ukraine 'we are with you' three years on from invasion

Leanne Lucas has described for the first time the desperate moments when she helped children run to safety

'If I didn't get out, everyone was going to die': Hero yoga teacher tells how she saved children from Southport attacker