White House jabs London’s mayor over Brexit outburst

The White House mocked Boris Johnson’s accusations of “exorbitant hypocrisy” on Monday, saying the United States had every right to weigh in on Britain’s Brexit debate.

“Mayor Johnson has a well-established reputation for rhetorical flourishes,” joked White House spokesman Josh Earnest, responding to an outburst from the loquacious London mayor. “I think that’s one of the reasons that many people in the United States have such a positive impression of him,” he added sarcastically.

Mr Johnson, who was born in New York, had said President Barack Obama’s reported plan to visit Britain ahead of its June referendum on European Union membership was rich given America’s “hysterical vigilance” about its own sovereignty.

Mr Earnest countered that “the US, because of our special relationship with the United Kingdom, benefits from a strong UK being a part of the European Union. That’s an entirely reasonable observation for any US official to make about our own international national security interests.”

Meanwhile, Gibraltar’s chief minister said on Tuesday that a British vote to leave the EU would be a “disaster” for state, leaving the British territory open to “undemocratic” advances from Spain.

Fabian Picardo, writing in The Times, urged voters in the June 23 referendum to stay in the union so that the 6.7-sq km territory off Spain’s southern coast could continue to protect “key trade routes and British interests”.