Number 10 lobby briefing on Boris Johnson, Turkish election, Brexit and Gavin Williamson

3 min read25 June 2018

Here is a summary of this morning's briefing for lobby journalists by the Prime Minister's official spokesman.

BORIS JOHNSON

The spokesman confirmed that Boris Johnson would not be present to vote on the expansion of Heathrow in the Commons tonight. Chancellor Philip Hammond, who has also spoken out against a third runway, will also be out of the country at a meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Bank in Mumbai.

"It's not uncommon for ministers to be slipped when they have business abroad," the spokesman said.

Asked if Boris Johnson had asked for the Prime Minister's permission to be absent, the spokesman said: "These are conversations that take place between individual ministers and whips."

And asked whether Mr Johnson - who has been an outspoken critic of a third runway - was acting "dishonourably" by making sure he missed the vote, the spokesman said: "You're asking me the question 'is the Foreign Secretary an honourable man' and the answer would be yes."

On the project itself, the spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has been clear on a number of occasions why this decision is the right one for the country."

TURKISH ELECTION

On President Erdogan's re-election in Turkey, the spokesman said: "The United Kingdom looks forward to continuing its close association with Turkey following the elections yesterday. Turkey and the UK have a wide range of shared interests, including regional security, counter-terrorism and bilateral trade and investment. We will work with President Erdogan and his administration to develop this important relationship."

BREXIT

On comments by Commons leader Andrea Leadsom that the Customs Partnership model for Britain's future trading relations with the EU - which Mrs May once favoured - was "unwieldy and impractical" and has been "taken to the abattoir", the spokesman said: "The PM has been clear on the New Customs Partnership that more work needed to be done and that work is being conducted by a working group."

On criticism by Jeremy Hunt of Airbus's decision to warn it may be forced to leave the UK because of uncertainty over Brexit, the spokesman said: "Business engagement is an important part of the Brexit process, but we are working to ensure that we get a deal that all parts of the country, including business, are able to support.

"The PM has held a series of engagements with business in private where they have been able to have full and frank conversations about the future. If individuals or companies wish to make their views in public, that's a matter for them."

GAVIN WILLIAMSON

On weekend reports that Gavin Williamson had threatened to bring her down unless the Ministry of Defence gets an extra £20bn, the spokesman said: "In relation to defence spending, she was asked when she was stood next to the Nato secretary general on Thursday and made a number of points. We have the biggest defence budget in Europe and the second biggest defence budget in Nato. We've already committed to increasing the defence budget by at least 0.5% above inflation in every year until the end of the Parliament, we'll spend more than £179bn on equipment support between 2017 and 2027."