Boris Johnson begged European workers to 'come back' and the EU's Brexit negotiator said what we're all thinking

Remember when Boris Johnson spent his entire election campaign banging on about Brexit?

As the European parliament's Brexit co-ordinator, Guy Verhofstadt certainly does.

Which is why the MEP was, like so many of us, completely baffled when Boris Johnson suddenly announced that he wants migrant workers to "come back" to the UK.

When asked about EU workers who want to return to the country after lockdown, Johnson said:

Come back to London or the UK, but you’ve got to quarantine, everybody has been lockdown for a long time. I know it’s an imposition but we’ve really got to defeat this virus.

But we want you back. 

Verhofstadt took to Twitter to point out Johnson's hypocrisy.

The government's immigration bill will put an end to freedom of movement in the EU and subject prospective workers to a points-based system.

But there are concerns that the UK's workforce and economy will struggle if migrant workers stay away.

Others were also stunned by Johnson's admission, including MEP Radosław Sikorski and Baroness Natalie Bennnett.

Perhaps repeatedly telling Britons to "take back control" wasn't really the best way to entice foreign workers to the UK?