The British government has played down U. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson`s proposition of building a bridge from Britain to France.
Johnson said a 22-mile crossing to connect the U. and France should be built across the English Channel, according to several British media reports Friday.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May was reported later to have said that there were no such plans. Speaking to CNBC, a spokesman said that plans for Johnson`s bridge between the two countries had not been seen by the government, adding that the foreign secretary was referring to a panel overseeing major Anglo-French infrastructure projects.
Johnson, who has served as foreign secretary since May took power, apparently made the suggestion for a bridge across the Channel at the Sandhurst military academy in southern England on Thursday, during French PresidentEmmanuel Macron`s first official visit to the U.
The Daily Telegraph and Sky News reported that, when Johnson made the suggestion, Macron said: "I agree, let`s do it."
According to the Telegraph, Johnson said that it was "ridiculous" the two countries were "linked by a single railway," the Eurostar.
The minister has previously supported the idea of building a road tunnel beneath the Channel, and was a big advocate for London`s Garden Bridge — a failed £200 million ($278 million) project to build a bridge across the River Thames covered in trees and shrubbery — during his time as the capital`s mayor.
Britain`s departure from the European Union was high on the agenda during Macron`s visit. Prime Minister Theresa May will offer France £44.5 million ($62 million) to improve border security in Calais and other ports along the Channel, while the leaders also signed a treaty to speed up the processing of migrants in the coastal French town applying for asylum.
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