No one needs to be familiar with the traditional idiom ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it too.’ There are many variations of the age-old proverb but they all mean that you have to give up something to get something in return. You can’t have two mutually exclusive things at once, and you have to choose one over the other. But long before becoming Britain’s PM, Boris Johnson had made it clear that he did not believe in it. Their policy is to have their cake and then eat it.Boris Johnson quote, “My policy on cake is to have it and eat it.” Became popular during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign. As Foreign Secretary, he said he was in favor of the UK retaining all the economic benefits of the EU single market, yet opting out of the costs.
The British love their cakes and Boris Johnson made Brexit simple
As leader of the Leave campaign, Boris Johnson needed to convince voters that exiting the EU would do no harm to the British economy. The EU works on a basic principle: if you want the financial benefits of the single market, you have to accept its rules, including the free movement of people. Johnson argued that Britain could successfully break this rule. He claimed that Britain could block EU immigration and stop paying into the EU budget while maintaining full, frictionless trade access.When critics pointed out that the EU would never agree to this, Johnson used this phrase to address their concerns. For him, “Cakeism” was the ultimate expression of British optimism.
Why did it become a memorable quote?
Boris Johnson is mostly known for his mistakes and controversial statements. Keck’s quote became notable not only because it was meaningful but also because it defined Brexit. For Johnson’s supporters, it was a joyous, patriotic rejection of defeatism. To his critics and EU negotiators, it was evidence of an unrealistic, deeply unserious strategy rooted in magical thinking.This quote became an enduring political shorthand: “Keckism” officially entered the British political lexicon. For years, European leaders used it to mock Britain’s position. Donald Tusk, then President of the European Council, famously took aim at this quote, saying “There will be no cake for anyone on the table – only salt and vinegar.”In 2020, Boris Johnson claimed that his post-Brexit agreement with the EU was the realization of his cake theory. But years later, experts now believe Britain didn’t get both the cake and the privilege of having it. Ultimately it was a compromise and the UK economy became smaller after Brexit – not a sudden collapse but a gradual crescendo.