What if...Boris Johnson had backed remain during the Brexit referendum?

The News Agents

Global

Daily News, News, Government, Politics

4.2 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In our final installation of our festive "What If" series Jon, Emily and Lewis ask what might have happened if Boris Johnson had decided to back the remain campaign rather than the leave campaign during the Brexit referendum?

What if the Hong Kong handover hadn’t happened? Is there a world where Hong Kong’s democracy and independence could have been better protected?

And finally, what if Rishi Sunak hadn't called the election early? Would the Tories have had any time to redeem themselves? Or would Reform have been able to gain more of the vote share?

Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: https://articles.globalplayer.com/7giHoMavXLgdrd6gaC3GxWG7T8

Editor: Tom Hughes

Executive Producer: Louis Degenhardt

Producer: Natalie Indge

Digital Editor: Michaela Walters

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind Badewal

Digital Journalist: Michael Baggs

You can watch Lewis's special report on the abortion crisis in America here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df5BCL0ocFE

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The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Newsagents podcast is brought to you by HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity.
0:10.5	This is a global player original podcast.
0:13.9	The last thing I wanted was to go against David Cameron or the government.
0:20.2	But after a great deal of hard take,
0:21.8	I don't think there's anything else I can do.
0:24.0	I will be advocating vote leave.
0:26.6	That was the bombshell moment
0:28.0	that Boris Johnson came out against the government of David Cameron
0:32.5	as a backer, a supporter of Brexit.
0:36.7	And in the words of David Cameron, later, became an ambassador for the expert-trashing, truth-twisting age of populism.
0:45.5	What would have happened if of those two speeches, now so famous, Boris Johnson had chosen the column that backed Remain.
0:57.1	Where would we be now? Welcome to the Newsagents.
1:03.5	The Newsagents. It's John. It's Emily. It's Lewis.
1:07.2	And this is our New Year's What If?
1:09.9	Happy New Year.
1:10.9	Festive What If?
1:11.9	And also, have you noticed, Maitlis?
1:14.0	Ties.
1:14.4	Ties.
1:14.8	Well, because it's New Year.
1:15.6	Very formal.
1:16.7	Hang on.
	...

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