Boris hits right note with Shropshire MPs over Brexit speech

And, in Shropshire at least, he appeared to strike the right tone as he spoke of a deal made in the full interests of the UK.

The Foreign Secretary warned it would be "mad" to end up with a Brexit settlement that does not allow the UK to enjoy the "economic freedoms" of leaving the European Union.

Signalling the need to diverge from EU rules after leaving the bloc, Mr Johnson insisted that the UK should not remain locked into alignment with Brussels.

In the latest salvo in a Cabinet battle over how closely the UK should remain tied to the EU after leaving, Mr Johnson said Britain should not be "lashed to the minute prescriptions" of a bloc comprising just six per cent of the world's population.

Mr Johnson's comments at a speech in London are in stark contrast to Chancellor Philip Hammond's hope that the UK would only diverge "very modestly" from the EU.

With the Cabinet set to make a final decision on its approach, Mr Johnson refused to guarantee he would not quit this year if there was a plan for close alignment.

Boris Johnson's speech is just the start of a flurry of activity on Brexit. The Prime Minister is travelling to Berlin to meet Angela Merkel and the cabinet will also take part in an 'away-day' at Chequers to ensure they are on-message on the issue.

South Shropshire MP, Philip Dunne, said the current round of speeches and meeting were an important step.

He said: "Following the cabinet discussions last week I think it is right that the Prime Minster and other senior ministers responsible for Brexit negotiations help set out the government position, to try to inform the public a little more on what the government stance is.

"In any negotiation much happens behind closed doors and you would expect each side to keep their cards pretty close to their chest.

"This round of speeches is an important step towards allowing us to deliver Brexit next year."

Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, said: "Whilst there are different opinions in and outside of the government on Brexit, it is important that all ministers work in the national interest and for Brexit that enhances rather than diminishes Britain."

Owen Paterson, still recovering in the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries at Oswestry's Orthopaedic Hospital following an accident while horseriding, tweeted that Boris Johnson's speech was "really good – an optimistic speech".

The UK has committed to leave the single market and customs union, but the EU could impose conditions to closely follow rules as part of the comprehensive deal sought by Theresa May.

Setting out his approach, Mr Johnson said: "We would be mad to go through this process of extrication from the EU and not to take advantage of the economic freedoms it will bring."

By leaving the EU "we will be able, if we so choose, to fish our own fish, to ban the traffic in live animals and payments to some of the richest landowners in Britain".

He said there would be freedom to cut VAT on fuel, "simplify planning and speed up public procurement".

In a sign that there could be changes to environmental protections, Mr Johnson said "we might decide that it was indeed absolutely necessary for every environmental impact assessment to monitor two life cycles of the snail and build special swimming pools for newts" but "it would at least be our decision".

'Serious free trade deals'

Mr Johnson said the issue was about "who decides" and "it may very well make sense" to remain in alignment with EU standards on some products – but that commitment should not be written in to the Brexit deal.

"I don't think we should necessarily commit, as a matter of treaty, that forever and a day we are going to remain locked into permanent congruence with the EU," he said.

In an effort to address concerns about the potential hit to trade, Mr Johnson said: "To those who worry about coming out of the customs union or the single market, please bear in mind that the economic benefits of membership are nothing like as conspicuous or irrefutable as is sometimes claimed."

Outside the EU the UK will be able to do "serious free trade deals" with growing economies around the world.

Mr Johnson rejected arguments for a second referendum and warned that it would be a "disastrous mistake" to seek to thwart Brexit.

In a message to Remain supporters, the Brexit-backing minister said leaving the EU could be "grounds for much more hope than fear".

He insisted that Brexit would not make the UK more "insular" and Britain would remain a "magnet" for talented migrants.

But stressing the ability to control the UK's borders, he said "we need to ask ourselves some hard questions about the impact of 20 years of uncontrolled immigration by low-skilled, low-wage workers".

Mr Johnson's speech, aimed at reaching out to Remain supporters, did little to win over Tory critics.

Sarah Wollaston said Mr Johnson's upbeat speech did not address the "serious practical difficulties" posed by Brexit.

Former minister Anna Soubry said he "fails to understand the very real concerns of British business".

The speech is the first of six being made by the Prime Minister and senior Cabinet figures to set out the Government's road map for Brexit.

Brexit Secretary David Davis, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Mrs May's deputy David Lidington are expected to speak in the coming weeks.

It follows criticism of the Prime Minister for failing to spell out Britain's Brexit aims.

The Chancellor, a prominent Remainer who is not on the list of set piece speeches, is on a tour of European capitals aimed at building business and political ties.

The Chancellor used a piece in Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri to call for continued "close connections" with the EU and a deal that covers financial services.

But he also urged the EU27 states to be clearer about their approach to the talks.

He said: "The complaint from Brussels has been that the UK 'hasn't made up its mind what type of relationship it wants', but in London, many feel that we have little signal of what future relationship the EU27 would like to have with a post-Brexit Britain.

"I don't believe this can be a question only for British politicians and British voters to resolve."

Boris: Leaving Europe ‘will bring economic freedom’

Setting out his approach to Brexit, Boris Johnson spoke of the “economic freedoms” it would bring the UK.

By leaving the EU “we will be able, if we so choose, to fish our own fish, to ban the traffic in live animals and payments to some of the richest landowners in Britain”.

He said there would be freedom to cut VAT on fuel, “simplify planning and speed up public procurement”.

In a sign that there could be changes to environmental protections, Mr Johnson said “we might decide that it was indeed absolutely necessary for every environmental impact assessment to monitor two life cycles of the snail and build special swimming pools for newts” but “it would at least be our decision”.

He said the issue was about “who decides” and “it may very well make sense” to remain in alignment with EU standards on some products – but that commitment should not be written into the Brexit deal.

“I don’t think we should necessarily commit, as a matter of treaty, that forever and a day we are going to remain locked into permanent congruence with the EU,” he said.

In an effort to address concerns about the potential hit to trade, Mr Johnson said: “To those who worry about coming out of the customs union or the single market, please bear in mind that the economic benefits of membership are nothing like as conspicuous or irrefutable as is sometimes claimed.”

The UK will be able to do “serious free trade deals” around the world.

Mr Johnson rejected arguments for a second referendum and warned that it would be a “disastrous mistake” to seek to thwart Brexit.

‘Roses are red, violets are blue, we’ve got a great future – outside the EU’

The Foreign Secretary offered reassurances to Remainers. Toby Neal remained unconvinced:

Would you want to be Boris Johnson’s Valentine?

He has come bearing flowers for Rosie Remain.

And a card with the verse: “Roses are red, violets are blue, we’ve got a great future, outside the EU”.

When Number 10 shuffles Boris off in the direction of the guns, you know one thing. They need somebody to risk falling flat on his, or her, face. Take one for the team.

Boris falls flat on his face. He gets stuck up zip wires. He stands in front of buses. He is Boris the Bold, Boris the Brave, Bonkers Boris.

He is a politician like no other, with a special quality. His critics, and even some of his friends, think he is a bit of a clown.

It was billed as a speech, but it wasn’t, as Boris doesn’t do speeches as such. It was more a cheerful, upbeat bumble.

He had made an effort to impress, wearing a best suit, and possibly having brushed his hair, although it is never easy to tell.

Then he got on to the serious business of wooing and reassuring the Remainers that he was not about to take them down a dark tunnel, or even to offer them a ride home (q.v. Amber Rudd), but into bright, sunlit, global Britain uplands.

His pitch was sprinkled with lots of Boris-esque classical allusions, metaphors and fancy intellectual words.

And with devastating precision he put his finger on a major flaw with the EU.

It has no demos.

That will have been well understood, if not necessarily agreed with, by his more scholarly listeners. However, I am afraid that I had no idea what he was talking about, nor even how to spell it.

I couldn’t even find the word in my dictionary. Whatever demos is, he told us that the UK has “never felt part of it” when it comes to the EU (after a bit of research demos turns out to be “the populace of a democracy as a political unit”).

Boris gave his speech in Central London, which is twinned with Brussels, and is the MP for a London constituency, which gives the context for one of his off-the-cuff points: “How many people can name their Euro MP? Those who greet me with cheery four-letter epithets in the street at least know who I am and roughly what I do. Generally speaking.”

There will be many summaries from media outlets of the contents of his bumble, but I think another of his colourful phrases sums up the message quite well: “I absolutely reject that it’s (i.e. Brexit) some un-British spasm of bad manners. It is not some great V sign from the cliffs of Dover.”

Oh, he also described Brexit as a “great liberal project of the age.” Lower case, of course.

When it comes to substance, his bumble was lacking, as no doubt his critics will fall over themselves to say.

Yet when you are a-wooing, you have to make all the right noises before you start discussing the placing of the furniture in your new home, or whatever.

A romantic pitch to the Remainers then for Valentine’s Day.

Yet I have a suspicion that when Remainers tell him where to put his proffered flowers, it won’t be in a vase.