France and Britain should be linked by a bridge over the Channel, according to Britain’s bumbling Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. The idea was mocked almost immediately on social media.
During French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to military base Sandhurst in Surrey, BoJo seized the chance to pitch an idea for his latest vanity project – a road connecting both nations. President Macron reportedly agreed to the plan in principle.
Sources close to the foreign secretary told The Telegraph and The Sun that Johnson thinks it’s “ridiculous” that the main link between the two countries is an underwater rail line.
Instead he wants a 22-mile bridge.
Boris is being mercilessly mocked on social media, however. Yet this is not the first time that Boris has thrown his weight behind a bridge - the Tory heavyweight backed plans for the Garden Bridge over the Thames.
Around £37 million ($51.5 million) of public money was wasted on the project planning, backed by actress Joanna Lumley and then-Tory MP George Osborne, before new London Mayor Sadiq Khan scrapped the £200 million ($279 million) idea.
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage called the idea "bonkers."
He tweeted: "Boris' bonkers bridge sounds like a big waste of money. Dangerous for container ships and useless when the wind blows (which is often)!"
Boris’ new bridge idea has sent Twitter into a frenzy. One man said on Twitter: “Ah! You thought Boris Island was wacky? Let’s have a BRIDGE TO FRANCE. Yeah. When the tunnel does not even run at capacity.”
Others pointed out flaws in the costly idea. One said: “Not content with Boris Island (still not been built), he now wants to build a bridge through the busiest sea shipping route in the world - how tall would it have to be!?”
Experts in shipping also laughed at Bozza’s expense. UK Shipping said: “Building a huge concrete structure in the middle of the world’s busiest shipping lane might come with some challenges.”
Another man wrote: “Will it have lots of trees on it? Will Joanna Lumley be involved?”
Political rivals the Liberal Democrats also took aim at the foreign secretary, who has been pro-Brexit since Britain’s vote to leave the EU. The party’s press office tweeted: “Foreign secretary now really running out of ideas to improve international relations.”