Rishi Sunak has distanced himself from Boris Johnson’s comparison of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia with Britain’s vote for Brexit.
The chancellor told Times Radio the two events were “clearly not comparable” but insisted the prime minister “doesn’t think that either”.
He told Times Radio: “People will make up their own minds. But I can tell you, categorically the Prime Minister does not think that the situation in Ukraine and Brexit are directly comparable. Of course they’re not, no one would say that they are, he was making some general comments about freedom in different guises.”
But he refused to endorse the exact language Johnson used when he made the analogy in a speech to the Conservative party spring conference in Blackpool yesterday.
The prime minister said Vladimir Putin’s invasion had left the world facing a choice between freedom and oppression.
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“I know that it’s the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom every time,” he added.
“I can give you a couple of famous recent examples. When the British people voted for Brexit in such large, large numbers, I don’t believe it was because they were remotely hostile to foreigners. It’s because they wanted to be free to do things differently and for this country to be able to run itself.”
Simon Clarke, who serves as Sunak’s deputy as chief secretary to the Treasury, defended the remarks. He told ITV News: “I think the prime minister was making the perfectly fair point which is that when people have the choice in their lives they want to uphold freedom of decision making.”
Johnson’s comments raised hackles across the political spectrum, and senior Tories joined opposition MPs in denouncing his remarks as insensitive.
Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council, said Johnson’s “words offend Ukrainians, the British and common sense”.
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No 10 is hoping to resurrect Brexit and the opportunities derived from leaving the EU as a key issue in the run-up to the next general election. However, the remarks, which were made in front of the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, angered a number of senior Tory MPs, who accused Johnson of causing division at a time when western countries needed to form a united front against Russia.
Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chairman of the Commons defence committee, said: “If we are to ultimately defeat Putin we require international leadership and unity. Comparing the Ukrainian people’s fight against Putin’s tyranny to the British people voting for Brexit damages the standard of statecraft we were beginning to exhibit.”
Lord Barwell, who was Theresa May’s chief of staff in No 10, wrote on Twitter: “Apart from the bit where voting in a free and fair referendum isn’t in any way comparable with risking your life to defend your country against invasion plus the awkward fact the Ukrainians are fighting for the freedom to join the EU, this comparison is bang on.”
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, tweeted: “Boris Johnson is a national embarrassment. His buffoonery contrasts with the courageous leadership of President Zelensky. To compare a referendum to women and children fleeing Putin’s bombs is an insult to every Ukrainian. He is no Churchill: he is Basil Fawlty.”
Only three weeks ago Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, called on the EU to grant his country membership, which it sees as increasingly crucial to its attempts to integrate itself further into the West.
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Tusk, a former Polish prime minister who was leader of the European Council throughout much of the Brexit negotiations, said: “I can still remember the enthusiasm of Putin after the referendum.”
Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister who served as Brexit co-ordinator in the European parliament, said: “Johnson’s comparison of the courageous fight of Ukraine with Brexit is insane.”
Philippe Errera, a French diplomat, added: “If I were Ukrainian, I would feel insulted. If I were British, I would feel ashamed. As a French diplomat, I will not comment on Twitter.”
