In an interview with the BBC programme Hardtalk the former European Commission President Jean Claude-Juncker called Boris Johnson “tough” despite going on to say that he liked him as a person.
“I didn't like him during the referendum campaign, but I liked him as a Prime Minister,” said Juncker when pressed by Stephen Sackur on the irony of having to deal with a leader he had previously stated was a liar.
On the semi-defensive, Juncker clarified "‘I said that he was using some lies not that he's 100% a liar."
You can see the first clip here.
On his dealings with the UK Prime Minister Juncker described Johnson as pretty straightforward; “He is very open, very frank. There is no theatre around the positions he has taken both in his negotiations with the Commission or in his talks with the European Council.”
Juncker detailed the different leaders in the process of Brexit, noting the necessity to remould campaigns and agreements; “With Mr Cameron we concluded a deal allowing Britain to stay. With Theresa May we tried to find the terms of a deal allowing Britain to leave and allowing Europeans to keep safe."
Asked if he believed Europe would be ready to listen if the UK wanted to re-join the Brussels bloc, Juncker said: “I don’t know if it’s a possibility. When Britain joined, Britain was in favour of the European Union. Now they have taken the opposite decision."
The second clip can be viewed here.
