Johnson confirms leadership bid at event in Switzerland
Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson, currently in Interlaken, Switzerland, said “of course” he would stand to be the next prime minister after Theresa May announced her resignation.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Reuters/Keystone-SDA/ilj
He made the comment during a speech at the Swiss Economic ForumExternal link (SEF) in the mountain resort of Interlaken on Friday afternoonExternal link, hours after May said she would leave her post on June 7. The former British foreign minister paid tribute to May, saying she was “patient and stoical” facing all the difficulties around the country’s departure from the European Union.
The next British prime minister can also revive stalled talks with the EU over an exit deal, Johnson said. “A new leader will have the opportunity to do things differently and have the momentum of a new administration,” he said.
Johnson also noted the hard EU stance towards Switzerland – which is not a member of the EU but is negotiating a framework agreement with Brussels, as it has bilateral agreements with the EU – and said Switzerland “should not give in”.
EU-Swiss negotiations
The EU wants the umbrella agreement with Switzerland to replace over 20 large sectoral agreements and more than 100 smaller deals in place at the bilateral level. The negotiations began in 2014 and a proposed accord was unveiled in December 2018.
The Swiss government has submitted it to a public consultation due to divergent domestic viewpoints. Brussels has given Switzerland until July 2019 to decide whether it wants to accept the deal.
On Thursday the EU’s top civil servant, speaking to Swiss public television, warned that a colder wind would soon blow from Brussels towards Switzerland.
More
More
Face-off continues between Brussels and Bern
This content was published on
A colder wind will soon blow from Brussels towards Switzerland, the European Union’s (EU) top civil servant has said.
The annual two-day SEF conference attracts around 1,350 people from the business world, academia, politics and the media, for “an active exchange of ideas and cross-industry networking”.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Brits to keep access to Swiss labour market in case of no deal
This content was published on
The Swiss government has approved a temporary agreement with Britain on access to the Swiss labour market in case of a hard Brexit.
This content was published on
Recently, Britain and Switzerland have had complicated relations with the EU but both states’ approach to European integration used to differ greatly.
This content was published on
On average, Swiss citizens are €2,914 (CHF3,315) richer each year thanks to access to the EU’s single market, according to the estimates of a German research group.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.