Boris would make a great prime minister, Hunt says

BORIS JOHNSON could make a “great prime minister” because he has already “changed British history”, Jeremy Hunt has said.

Asked about his predecessor during a trip to Washington, Mr Hunt, the new Foreign Secretary, told Axios: “Well, Boris is someone I would never underestimate. This is a man who has changed the course of British history through his campaigning for Brexit.

“I don’t agree with him on everything, but, you know, who knows for the future?”

He admitted that he would adopt a different style from Mr Johnson, but said the “substance” of his approach would be the same. “I don’t think anyone could be stylistically the same as Boris,” he added. “I don’t think the substance is terribly different, particularly when it comes to relations with the US.” He also defended Donald Trump’s foreign policy after admitting that he harboured “prejudices” against the US president before they met at Chequers.

Mr Hunt said: “His view is that if this international order is going to work, it’s got to be reformed.”

‘He is someone I would never underestimate. This is a man who has changed the course of British history’

Asked about Mr Trump’s use of tariffs against the EU, he said: “I can’t justify why it is that the tariffs are different in one direction compared to the other … He’s saying he wants to put it right … but he’s not looking to have a world where Europe and the US don’t trade with each other, and he … gets the importance of free trade.”