A former Northern Ireland secretary who is backing Boris Johnson couldn’t answer how the Tory favourite was going to deliver Brexit by the end of October, despite being asked seven times.
Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, was interviewed on TalkRadio by Julia Hartley-Brewer.
Brexiteer radio host and columnist Julia Hartley-Brewer is far from a Remainer darling but when it comes to the vast distances between Brexit reality and what the candidates are promising, she is as frustrated as anyone else.
Hartley-Brewer wanted hard Brexiteer Villiers to talk about the specifics of what Johnson was going to do to ensure Brexit happened in the face of parliamenary resistance to leaving without a deal.
“What is [Johnson] planning to do on October 31 to actually deliver Brexit – has he told you?” she asked.
Julia: "Are you planning on answering my question?" Former Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers is asked SEVEN times how Boris Johnson will deliver Brexit by 31 October. What's your response?@JuliaHB1 | #OurNextPrimeMinister pic.twitter.com/kgq6X82TnI
— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) 19 June 2019
Not satisfied with Villiers’ first answer that parliament has voted to leave on October 31, Hartley-Brewer presses her further.
“Has he told you? Is he willing to prorogue parliament? Is he going to call a general election? What is he going to do? Because saying that’s what he wants to do doesn’t matter if we don’t know what he’s going to do if it’s going to be stopped?”
“Well, he’s said both publicly and privately that we’ll be leaving on October 31…” said Villiers.
“For the third time,” said Hartley-Brewer. “If he doesn’t get a deal from the EU which parliament [is willing] to vote through, if he has to go for a no-deal and parliament votes to revoke Article 50, what has he told you as one of his supporters, as a Leave voter yourself … what has he told you he is willing to do to make sure that happens?”
The exchange goes back and forth with Hartley-Brewer looking increasingly exasperated, reframing the question several times. “You’re going on the public airwaves to say you back him to deliver Brexit. How is he going to do it?”
If there is an answer lurking among hard Brexiteer MPs, TalkRadio was not able to fish it out.