Boris Johnson once mocked the eurocrats of Brussels. They haven’t forgotten

“He left [Brussels] in 1994 and he’s not been back very much since,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, a research institute, who, as a correspondent for The Economist, competed against Mr Johnson.

“He’s anathema to most EU politicians, who see him as personally to blame for Brexit, so he doesn’t have much of a network there,” Mr Grant added.“Boris Johnson and some of those around him genuinely believe that, if you are very tough, and push hard enough, then the EU will cave in,” Mr.Grant said.