Ex-London mayor compares European Union to Hitler

LONDON — Former London Mayor Boris Johnson has compared the European Union’s aims to those of Adolf Hitler, arguing that the 28-nation bloc is creating a superstate that mirrors the attempt of the Nazi leader to dominate the European continent.

Johnson, the most prominent political figure arguing that Britain should leave the EU, says the past 2,000 years of European history have shown doomed attempts to unify the continent and recreate the Romans’ golden age.

The “stay” camp described Johnson’s comments as a desperate effort take the focus off the economic impact such a rupture would create and on to the more populist theme of sovereignty issues.

By shifting to the sovereignty issue, Johnson is changing tack — and tapping into the deep-seated concerns of many Britons who believe that bureaucrats in Brussels have seized too much control over their everyday lives.