Boris Johnson says Britain will now help Turkey join EU despite using prospect to help win referendum

Boris Johnson has announced that Britain will support Turkey's bid to join the EU despite putting warnings about the prospect at the heart of the Brexit campaign in the run up to the referendum.

During the EU referendum Mr Johnson warned that the accession of Turkey would give millions of migrants the right to live and work in the UK. The claim was one of the most controversial of the referendum campaign and led to accusations by senior Remain campaigners that Mr Johnson had lied.

But yesterday, during his first official visit to Turkey, Mr Johnson said that Britain will "help Turkey in any way" now that it is leaving the EU. He also declined to apologise for previously writing a limerick about the "love that flowers" between the Turkish President and a goat.

Boris Johnson with President Erdogan, who he previously made the subject of an offensive limerick
Boris Johnson with President Erdogan, who he previously made the subject of an offensive limerick

 In May Mr Johnson won the the Spectator's inaugural  President Erdogan Offensive Poetry Competition after beating more than 3,000 other submissions.

The competition was launched after the criminal prosecution of a comedian in Germany for writing a poem accusing President Erdogan of bestiality.

He yesterday avoided any further diplomatic incidents by dismissing the poem as "trivia", adding that he was "delighted" it had not come up in talks.

He instead tried to build relations by highlighting the fact that he is the "proud possessor of a beautiful, very well-functioning Turkish washing machine".

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary
Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary

Mr Celik said although his nation respected Britain’s decision to leave the EU he strongly criticised the "anti-Turkish rhetoric" that emerged during the campaign. "We have to close this ugly parenthesis and look to the future," Mr Celik said.

Mr Johnson said: "We may be leaving the European Union but we are not leaving Europe and Britain will help Turkey in any way." " Earlier in the week he said that he wants to build a "jumbo free trade deal" with Turkey.

Mr Johnson, whose great-grandfather Ali Kemal was briefly a Turkish minister shortly after World War I, also referred to his personal ties to Turkey. "Some of you may know this is the land of my fathers, this very (foreign) ministry is the place where my relatives used to work, (including) my great uncle Zeki Kuneralp."

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