LONDON, Jan 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected Monday to promise that his country will open to the world’s best talent, one day after he unveiled plans to celebrate Britain’s departure from the European Union (EU) on Jan 31.
Johnson will deliver a special address to the nation and Downing Street will be illuminated with a count-down light display marking Britain’s exit from the EU this coming Friday at 11 pm.
The move is designed to symbolise the strength and unity of Britain’s four nations — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“Friday marks an important moment in the history of our United Kingdom,” the prime minister said. “No matter how you voted in 2016, it is the time to look ahead with confidence to the global, trail-blazing country we will become over the next decade and heal past divisions.”
“That is what I will be doing on January 31 and I urge everyone across the UK to do the same,” he said.
Union flags will line Parliament Square and the Mall in central London while government buildings on Whitehall will be lit up in red, white and blue throughout the evening.
A countdown clock will be projected onto Number 10’s black bricks from 10 pm on Jan 31. To coincided with the date, the new commemorative 50p coin will also go into circulation.
Big Ben, however, is not set to ring, as many Brexiteers had desired. Johnson’s proposal of crowdfunding the bill of 500,000 pounds for restoring Big Ben to working order for Brexit day had backfired badly.
British politicians who fought for Britain to remain in the EU said the events are deeply inappropriate.
Tory peer and former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine told the Observer: “Brexit is the most divisive issue of modern times. Those of us who fought to remain did so sincerely in the interests of our country and subsequent generations who we believe should be influential at the heart of Europe.”
Liberal Democrats’ acting leader, Ed Davey, accused Johnson of using public money for an inappropriate, divisive event.
The leader of the Scottish National Party at Westminster, Ian Blackford, said “It grieves me that we should be leaving the greatest postwar peace project ever created. That is not something we should be celebrating.”
Claude Moraes, who has served as a Labour MEP for more than 20 years and will attend the European Parliament for the last time on Thursday, said the British government events to mark Brexit were wrong. — NNN-XINHUA