Boris Johnson left the door open to him resigning from the Cabinet if the UK does not cut its ties with the European Union to allow it to sign free trade deals with the rest of the world. In a major speech that aimed to unite the country behind Brexit, Mr Johnson warned it would be “mad” to end up with a settlement that does not allow the UK to enjoy the “economic freedoms” of leaving the EU.
The issue of maintaining regulatory alignment with the EU after the UK withdraws from the bloc is the single biggest dividing line within Theresa May’s Cabinet. And when asked if he would guarantee that he would not resign if the Prime Minister decides not to diverge from EU regulations, Mr Johnson said: “We are all very lucky to serve. I am certainly one of those.”
The response will heap yet more pressure on the Prime Minister who later this week will aim to thrash out a united position with key Cabinet members in Chequers. Mrs May must try to forge a united front before the next round of negotiations begin on the make-up of the two-year implementation period after March 2019. But she is caught between warring factions within her Cabinet, half of whom want to remain closely aligned to the EU to limit the economic shock of leaving, and the other half who want to take advantage of potential free trade deals elsewhere in the world.