London, Nov 2 (IANS) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new manifesto is set to abandon the threat of a no-deal Brexit as he attempts to gain support from the centre ground, a media report revealed on Saturday.
In a direct contrast with his initial “do or die” vow to leave the European Union (EU) with or without a deal on October 31, Johnson will now focus on achieving Brexit “immediately” through his “fantastic” deal, The Daily Mail said in its report.
Details of the manifesto emerged as Johnson revealed he would reject Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage’s offer of a Leave Alliance at the December 12 general election, telling voters the only way to guarantee Brexit would happen was to support the ruling Conservative Party at the ballot box.
According to the outgoing Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan, Johnson’s new manifesto means a no-deal Brexit “has effectively been taken off the table”.
In an interview with the Times on Friday, she said: “If you vote Conservative at this election, you’re voting to leave with this deal.”
The manifesto revelations came after Farage on Friday announced that his Brexit Party would contest every seat across England, Scotland and Wales on December 12 unless Johnson ditched his EU “divorce accord” and agreed to strike a non-aggression pact.
Meanwhile in an interview with The Daily Mail, Michael Gove declared that the election manifesto would promise tax cuts to leave people with “more of what they earn”.
He said that there would be “significant new policy in a number of areas, designed to ensure that people who are worried about the cost of living know that the government is on their side”.
“It’s about making people’s lives better. And that means taking steps to ensure people can keep more of what they earn. And that people can deal better with some of the cost of living challenges that we face, but also making sure that we have proper investment in public services,” Gove added.
The UK is going to the polls on December 12 following a further delay to the country’s departure from the EU, to January 31, 2020.
–IANS
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