Boris Johnson accuses EU of being ‘a bit negative’ and people are embarrassed

In a typically incisive, constructive manner, prime minister Boris Johnson has accused the EU of being “a bit negative”.

Thankfully, he’s “going to go at it with a lot of ‘oomph’”.

His inspiring comments came in an interview with the BBC, in which Mr Johnson discussed his letter sent to the EU asking for the removal of the Northern Irish backstop.

The EU swiftly criticised his backstop proposal for not providing "a legal operational solution to prevent the return of a hard border" in Ireland and for not setting out any alternative arrangements, despite Johnson's proposal acknowledging "there is no guarantee such arrangements will be in place by the end of the transitional period" - currently at the end of 2020.

Unperturbed by such trivia, Mr Johnson attacked their "sense of optimism":

At the moment, it is absolutely true that our friends and partners are a bit negative.

I saw what Donald Tusk had to say and it wasn’t redolent of a sense of optimism, but I think actually we’ll get there.

The prime minister's blasé response to the problem that risks peace in Northern Ireland drove many people to despair.

Some refused to believe it was real.

Others were already weary...it's not even been a month.

But maybe it's what we deserve...

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