Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel joins Liberal Democrats to fight hard Brexit

Rachel Johnson - Image credit: Ian West/PA Archive/PA Images

Rachel Johnson, the sister of foreign secretary Boris Johnson, has joined the Liberal Democrats in a bid to fight a “hard Brexit”.

The journalist and columnist is reported by Channel 4 to have also discussed the possibility of standing for a seat in the south-west of England.

However, talks broke down in light of a party rule which says members must have been in the Lib Dems for a year before putting themselves forward.

RELATED CONTENT

Article 50 bill to complete passage through Commons

Tory Eurosceptics react in anger as Tony Blair calls for Remain voters to “rise up” against Brexit

Rachel Johnson was an ardent Remain supporter, while her brother played a leading role in the Vote Leave campaign.

Her other brother Jo and father Stanley, an MP and former MEP respectively, also backed the campaign to stay in the European Union.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has put campaigning for continued single market access for the UK at the heart of the party’s campaign ahead of next month’s June election.

In a column for the Mail on Sunday following last June’s vote to leave the EU, Rachel Johnson said: “What an astonishing, upsetting, stunning week it has been, a stinging reminder that no politician should ever ask the public a question he doesn’t know the answer to.

“Now the snow globe is not just shaken but lying broken on the floor.”