MP Nick Gibb '˜backing Boris Johnson' for Prime Minister

Nick Gibb says he's throwing his support behind Boris Johnson in the race for the country's top job.
Boris Johnson and Theresa May are the favourites to be named the next Prime MinisterBoris Johnson and Theresa May are the favourites to be named the next Prime Minister
Boris Johnson and Theresa May are the favourites to be named the next Prime Minister

In a tweet Mr Gibb, the MP for Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, said today: “I’m backing Boris.

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are without doubt the right team to negotiate Brexit and unite our Party and country.”

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Former Mayor of London Mr Johnson and home secretary Theresa May are the frontrunners to become the next Prime Minister, following David Cameron’s announcement that he would stand down in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

Nick Gibb MPNick Gibb MP
Nick Gibb MP

The EU referendum result has sent shockwaves through the political establishment, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn facing growing pressure to resign after the majority of his shadow cabinet quit.

Almost 78 per cent of residents living in the Arun district turned out to vote, and of them, just over 62 per cent voted to leave, far higher than the national 52 per cent leave figure.

Speaking about the result, Mr Gibb said concerns over the levels of immigration and people wanting laws to be decided in this country were the key factors in the outcome.

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He said: “Now the detailed work needs to begin to ensure the best possible trading arrangements are in place between the UK and the EU.

“The priority for the Government must be to reassure business, both domestic and multi-national, that Britain remains open for business, is politically stable and that investment decisions should go ahead as planned.

“I believe the outcome of the Referendum was down to two principal reasons.

“First, that people want decisions about our laws to be made in Westminster not Brussels.

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“Secondly, that there is huge concern about levels of immigration into this country.

“Throughout the 20th century annual net immigration was about 30,000 per year.

“For the last 12 years it has been between 200,000 and 350,000 each year. And because it is the EU principle of free movement that has largely driven that increase, leaving the EU became the way to tackle that issue.”

Do you think Boris Johnson is the right man to take over from David Cameron and lead the EU exit negotiations?

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