Boris Johnson mocked for likening Brexit Irish border issue to raking in the congestion charge in London
BORIS Johnson has been slammed for comparing the thorny issue of the post-Brexit Irish border to London's congestion charge.
Critics accused the Foreign Secretary being "insensitive" and "ignorant" by saying there would be no need for a physical border between Northern Ireland and Ireland - and it would be as easy as slapping cameras throughout London.
Yesterday it was revealed that the EU plans to try and split up the UK by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's Customs Union - and aligned to Single Market rules.
In negotiating documents to be finalised this week they have scrapped key wording put in by Theresa May which promised no barriers between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Today the Foreign Secretary slapped down these demands and insisted: "We don't think that is the right way forward."
But he then went on to say: "There is no border between Camden and Westminster... but when I was Mayor we invisibly took hundreds of millions of pounds from the of accounts of people travelling between those two boroughs without the need for border checks."
When Mr Johnson was London Mayor he set up a new cameras system which logged drivers travelling into the capital and automatically charged them the congestion fee.
He insisted today: "It's a very relevant comparison - there is all sorts of scope for pre-booking and electronic checks".
But he was met with a furious backlash from other politicians who accused him of trivialising Northern Ireland's Troubles.
Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Smith said the comments were "typically facile and thoughtless".
And Colum Eastwood, leader of the SDLP in Northern Ireland, said: "When decides to come down from the other planet that he clearly inhabits he's welcome to come and actually visit the Irish border."
Open Britain's Chris Leslie MP accused him of not understanding the complex issues in the country.
He stormed: "To compare the border between two sovereign states, the UK and the Republic of Ireland, to the boundaries between different London boroughs is not only patently ridiculous but also shows staggering insensitivity and a stupefying ignorance of a conflict in which over 3,000 people died between 1969 and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement."
Labour's David Lammy also mocked Boris on Twitter, saying there was no searched at the border between Camden Town and Finsbury Park.
EU boss Michel Barnier also warned today there were still "a lot of points of disagreement" over the transition period - and he wanted to meet with David Davis to discuss them "straight away".
Meanwhile, Northern Irish party Sinn Fein is under intense pressure to rip up its century-old rules of not voting in Parliament to try and bring down the Prime Minister.
Yesterday Irish PM Leo Varadkar suggested it would "make things better for Ireland" if they reversed their position.
But the party, who has seven MPs and could slash Mrs May's majority down to just four, has said it has no intention of doing so.
Mr Johnson went on to lash out at Jeremy Corbyn for "throwing away" the chance to do trade deals around the world after Brexit.
Yesterday the Labour leader said he would fight to stay in a Customs Union, and keep us close to EU laws even when we're out.
The Foreign Secretary said it was a "cynical, shameless u-turn" and he has decided to "betray those who have voted for him and Brexit".
He insisted that it wasn't possible to have it both ways, adding: "you cant suck and blow at once".
Leading Tory Remainer warns there is a ‘huge’ majority of MPs who would back Jeremy Corbyn’s customs union plan and force PM into soft Brexit
A TORY Remainer has insisted there is no majority in Parliament for the Brexit Theresa May is aiming for.
Senior backbencher Sarah Wollaston told Newsnight last night that Theresa May's plans were not attracting enough support.
She said: "The simple reality is this. There isn't a parliamentary majority for a hard Brexit."
And she added: The parliamentary arithmetic is there. We can't get away from that. There is no majority in Parliament ... for a hard, walk-away, no-deal Brexit, so there is going to have to be a compromise here."
Many Tories in the EU referendum voted Remain, and only
Ms Wollaston, who chairs the Commons Health Select Committee, said there were a number of ministers who privately shared support for a Customs Union too.
Last week Tories put down an amendment to the Trade Bill which would keep us in a form of Union - but would mean we are unable to strike fresh trade deals with other countries around the world.
Just a handful of Tories would have to back it - along with Labour, the Lib Dems and other smaller parties - to defeat the Government over it.
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Voters in Brexit-backing towns across the country were fuming with Mr Corbyn's change of heart - and accused him of being opportunistic rather than principles.
Some of them said they didn't trust him as he keeps changing his mind on Brexit.
Yorkshire shopper Susan Ball told : "We opted to come out and stand on our own feet. Jeremy Corbyn is doing a U-turn. He hasn’t got the strength of character, so I’m apprehensive about him."
And voters in Sunderland told the they were flirting with voting Ukip again as a result of the u-turn.
Jade Smith, 17, said her and her Mum have already abandoned Labour. She added: "I want to leave so we can keep our money. We don’t get anything for it. I will have a better chance of a job when the immigrants leave."
