UK PM Candidate Johnson Says He Backs Hong Kong People ‘Every Inch of the Way’

Boris Johnson, a leadership candidate for Britain's Conservative Party, gives a television interview before a Hustings event at the Culloden House Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on July 2, 2019. Charles McQuillan/Pool via Reuters

READING, England—Boris Johnson, who could be Britain’s prime minister by the end of the month, said he backed the people of Hong Kong every inch of the way and cautioned China that “one country, two systems” should not be cast aside.

Britain has repeatedly pressed China to honor its commitment to protecting freedoms in Hong Kong after police fired tear gas to disperse protesters rallying in the former British colony against a now-suspended extradition bill.