EU Referendum: Mayor of London Boris Johnson says no reason to be afraid of Brexit

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London is still keeping everyone guessing as to which camp he will be joining in the EU referendum but he certainly has been keep speculators busy. But he has promised to make his stand once Prime Minister David Cameron unveils the final EU deal.

Johnson boosted speculation that he ready to join the Leave campaign by saying that there is "no reason to be afraid of" leaving the EU. He noted that the UK increasingly trades with nations outside the bloc.

"The salient point is this: London is now doing unbelievably well," he said on 14 February. "People thinking about Britain in Europe, Britain out of Europe should recognise that a lot of the investment we attract now is from places outside the EU,"

He continued: "We export increasingly outside the EU. There is no reason to be afraid," he said, boosting the Leave campaign.

On whether London would flourish if the UK remained in the EU, he said: "London is by far and away the economic powerhouse of the whole of Europe. It is the commercial, the financial, the cultural, the tech centre of the whole community, it is 25% of UK GDP, it will flourish in or out."

Speaking at the Sunday Politics show on BBC One, he said: "Whatever happens you will hear a lot from me," He indicated that he will announce which camp he will be backing after the Brussels summit this week where Cameron hopes to finalise his EU deal. "You don't have to wait long," Johnson said.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph says that the Attorney General Jeremy Wright is considering joining the Leave campaign over concerns that Cameron's deal with the EU may not go "far enough." The paper said Wright, who sits in the Cabinet is still on the fence as to whether the UK should remain in the bloc.

It noted that Wright "has particular concerns about the increasing influence of European courts and the growing impact of human rights laws." The paper said that Wright's position was unique because as the Attorney General, he has to provide legal advice to the prime minister over the legal implications of any deal that is struck.

The newspaper quotes a minister as saying: "At the moment, he is undecided, he is conscious that this is not the final deal yet and major changes one way or another could swing his decision. He is 50/50."

The Minister continued: "He also has significant concerns about the influence of the European courts. There is a question of whether Britain needs to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights entirely." Wright has declined to comment, The Telegraph said.

Separately, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who was speaking at The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One on 14 February warned that EU member states are unlikely to grant the UK favourable terms to leave the bloc as it could spark anti-EU sentiments within their own borders.

"Britain has been an enormously important influence in Europe, an influence for open markets for free trade. I think we would be dealing with a Europe that looked very much less in our image. The thing we have to remember is there's a real fear in Europe that if Britain leaves the contagion will spread," Hammond said.