Rishi Sunak has slapped down the Prime Minister for comparing Ukraine's fight against war crimes to Brits voting for Brexit.
Boris Johnso n was slammed for his comments at the Tory party spring conference in Blackpool on Saturday.
During the media rounds earlier today the Chancellor dodged questions on whether Johnson's words were "crass" and suggested he would not have made the same claim.
In his keynote speech to the conference, the PM said it is the "instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom", with the Brexit vote a "famous recent example".
Sunak said his boss was not directly comparing Ukraine and Brexit, but instead "talking about freedom in general".
He added: "No, I don’t think those two situations are directly analogous, clearly they’re not directly analogous and I don’t think the Prime Minister was saying they were directly analogous either.
"Look, people will make up their own minds."
On the BBC's Sunday Morning programme, Sunak said: "He was not directly comparing those two things, he was talking about freedom in general."
The Prime Minister was slammed for his comments in front of delegates in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
The French Ambassador, a former European Council President, a former No10 chief of staff, and opposition MPs who branded him “Basil Fawlty”.
While, Lord Barwell, who was Theresa May's chief of staff, pointed out Ukraine is seeking to join the EU. He said voting in the 2016 referendum "isn't in any way comparable with risking your life" in a war with Russian troops.
Labour's Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves urged Johnson to apologise to Ukrainians for his comments.
She said: "It is insulting to the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their very freedom and their very lives, and it’s insulting to the British people as well.
"And if the Prime Minister didn’t mean that analogy, he shouldn’t have made it, and he should take back those words and apologise to the Ukrainian people and the British people for those crass remarks he made yesterday."
Sunak was questioned by Sophy Ridge on Sky about Johnson's comments, he said: "Those situations are obviously not analogous.
"One is a democratic referendum in a country where people were able to debate ideas in peace and freedom."
Told Ukraine wants to join the EU, he replied: "Of course and that should be their right and actually that’s part of the situation Putin doesn’t like…"
But asked to confirm he wouldn’t have used those words, he replied: "I don’t think the Prime Minister did either.
"People will draw their own conclusions… Look, people will make up their own minds.
"But I certainly don’t think those two situations are directly analogous and I don’t think he does either."
Sunak dodged replying whether the words were crass, instead saying: "I think no one can doubt the PM has taken a lead globally in standing up to Putin’s aggression… there’s nothing crass about that.
“He’s taken a lead internationally in assembling a coalition of countries to inflict maximum economic pain on Putin and he has galvanised opinion and I think he deserves enormous credit for that.”
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