Rishi Sunak slaps down Boris Johnson for comparing Ukraine to Brexit

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Rishi Sunak has slapped down the Prime Minister for comparing Ukraine's fight against war crimes to Brits voting for Brexit.

Boris Johnso n was slammed for his comments at the Tory party spring conference in Blackpool on Saturday. During the media rounds earlier today the Chancellor dodged questions on whether Johnson's words were "crass" and suggested he would not have made the same claim.In his keynote speech to the conference, the PM said it is the "instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom", with the Brexit vote a "famous recent example".Sunak said his boss was not directly comparing Ukraine and Brexit, but instead "talking about freedom in general".He added: "No, I don’t think those two situations are directly analogous, clearly they’re not directly analogous and I don’t think the Prime Minister was saying they were directly analogous either."Look, people will make up their own minds."On the BBC's Sunday Morning programme, Sunak said: "He was not directly comparing those two things, he was talking about freedom in general."The Prime Minister was slammed for his comments in front of delegates in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.The French Ambassador, a former European Council President, a former No10 chief of staff, and opposition MPs who branded him “Basil Fawlty”.While, Lord Barwell, who was Theresa May's chief of staff, pointed out Ukraine is seeking to join the EU.

He said voting in the 2016 referendum "isn't in any way comparable with risking your life" in a war with Russian troops.Labour's Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves urged Johnson to apologise to Ukrainians for his comments.She said: "It is insulting to the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their very freedom