Johnson warned by PM over his NHS cash plea

Foreign secretary is told Cabinet talks must stay private

Theresa May has warned ministers that Cabinet discussions should remain private as Boris Johnson mounted a fresh push for extra NHS spending.

The foreign secretary let it be known that he intended to use the weekly meeting of the Cabinet to press for an additional £5 billion for the NHS after Britain leaves the EU.

But as ministers gathered in No 10, he was pre-empted by the Prime Minister who told the meeting any “Brexit dividend” would be allocated according to the Government’s priorities – including schools and housing as well as health.

In the hour-long discussion that followed, there appeared to be exasperation at Mr Johnson’s latest intervention, with ministers backing Mrs May’s view that their talks should stay confidential.

But despite frustration at the way Mr Johnson’s intentions became public knowledge, it is understood there was some support around the Cabinet for his position.

The foreign secretary’s fellow Vote Leave campaigners Michael Gove and Chris Grayling supported his call for the NHS to benefit from the “Brexit dividend”, and Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt would also welcome extra funding.

Downing Street made clear that senior ministers had concerns about the privacy of Cabinet talks.

“The Prime Minister and a large number of ministers made the point that Cabinet discussions should remain private,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

The spokesman said that while most members had contributed to the discussion, no minister had mentioned a “specific number in relation to NHS funding”.

Earlier, Mr Johnson’s intervention drew a withering rebuke from Chancellor Philip Hammond who made clear the NHS was not his department.

“Mr Johnson is the foreign secretary,” he told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels.

“I gave the health secretary an extra £6 billion at the recent Budget and we will look at departmental allocations again at the spending review when that takes place.”

There was an angry response also from some Tory MPs, with former minister Anna Soubry warning Mrs May Mr Johnson would bring her down unless she sacked him.

Picture: PA. There seemed to be exasperation at No 10 over Boris Johnson’s latest intervention, with ministers backing Mrs May’s view that their talks should stay confidential.