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TEHRAN, Jun 25 - Boris Johnson, the leading contender to become Britain's next prime minister, said on Tuesday it would be "bizarre" if the EU opted to impose tariffs on British goods in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Johnson, vying with foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt to replace outgoing premier Theresa May, insisted her divorce deal struck with the bloc but repeatedly rejected by MPs was "basically dead".
The ex-London mayor told a radio phone-in that Britain must "get ready to come out without an agreement" and the European Union should match his plan not to impose any tariffs under such a scenario.
"It would be very bizarre if the EU should decide on their own -- we wouldn't put up tariffs -- to impose tariffs on goods coming from the UK," he told LBC talk radio.
"It wouldn't be in the interests of their businesses, let alone their consumers.
"It would be a return to Napoleon's continental system," he added, invoking the 19th-century French emperor who attempted to blockade Britain in the Napoleonic Wars.
During the radio phone-in, former foreign secretary Johnson delved further into his Brexit strategy if he were to be elected Conservative leader -- and therefore prime minister -- by party members next month.
The 55-year-old said he wants to "take the serviceable bits" of May's withdrawal agreement, while scrapping the "backstop" provision -- hated by ardent Brexiteers -- intended to keep the Irish border open.
Source: AFP
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