Theresa May and Philip Hammond hit back at Boris Johnson over Brexit outburst
2 min read
Theresa May and Philip Hammond have hit back at Boris Johnson after the Foreign Secretary was secretly recorded bad-mouthing the Government’s approach to Brexit.
Mr Johnson described the Treasury as the "heart of Remain" and suggested that Donald Trump could do a better job of negotiating Brexit than the Prime Minister.
The Foreign Secretary also hit out at the "folly" of allowing rows over the Irish border to hold up the Brexit process, and predicted that Brexit could lead to a "meltdown".
In a clear rebuke for the Cabinet heavyweight, a Downing Street spokeswoman said the Northern Irish border had been a clear “priority” for the Government since the Brexit negotiations began.
She said: "Our position on the importance of finding a solution to the Irish border couldn’t be clearer. It has been a priority for the PM from day one of the negotiations and will continue to be so.
“I think it is important to say it’s a priority not because the EU has made it one, but because the PM is committeed to the union and because the re-emergence of a hard border would put that at risk."
But asked if Mrs May still had confidence in Mr Johnson, the spokesman replied: “Of course.”
Speaking in Berlin, the Chancellor took a thinly-veiled swipe at Mr Johnson's combative attitude.
He said: "In my experience a collaborative approach is more productive than a confrontational approach and my advice to colleagues is to engage with European partners."
Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also dismissed Mr Johnson's remarks on the Northern Ireland issue.
He said: "When I want to know what the view of the British government is, I ask the Prime Minister."
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