‘Boris is Boris’ says PM as critics

● May and Johnson set for showdown at the UN over Brexit rift ● Prime minister rejects Foreign Secretary’s payments call

for access to the European single market. “Decisions about what to do with those sums will be taken at the time” she said, adding: “What we are clear about is year on year we will not be sending huge sums of money into the European Union.”

She confirmed that Downing Street had not given permission for the 4,000-word article to be published. Asked what she felt about the perceived disloyalty of one of her senior ministers, the Prime Minister said simply: “Boris is Boris.”

Mr Johnson drew criticism for using a 4,000-word essay in the Daily Telegraph to revive the widely-discredited claim that quitting the European Union would allow the UK to spend £350 million a week on additional NHS funding.

He also warned against paying for access to European markets after Brexit and said continued membership of the single market and customs union would make a “complete mockery” of the referendum result.

Critics rounded on him for the timing of his intervention in the wake of the Parsons Green bombing in London.

Closing his party’s conference in Bournemouth today, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable will accuse Mrs May of being too weak to sack Mr Johnson, claiming the government has “degenerated into a full-scale school riot with the head teacher hiding, barricaded in her office”.

The Lib Dem chief whip Alistair Carmichael claimed Mr Johnson was “angling to be sacked”.

Mr Johnson received backing from Brexit supporters in the Conservative Party, but was cut adrift by a number of senior cabinet ministers, including Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who mocked Mr Johnson for providing “entertainment” in government.

Speaking at the UN yesterday, Mr Johnson attempted to play down the row, insisting: “There is only one driver in this car and it is Theresa.”

But he doubled down on his own Brexit vision, warning that there could be no extended transition period after the UK leaves the EU.

He repeated his belief that the UK should not make “extortionate” payments to the EU once it has withdrawn.

Mr Johnson sidestepped questions over whether he would resign if he did not get his way, telling the BBC: “You are barking slightly up the wrong tree here.”

The head of Britain’s statistics watchdog was urged to resign by a Conservative MP after accusing the Foreign Secretary of “misusing” official figures.

Nadine Dorries claimed Sir David Norgrove was “playing politics” by publicly criticising the Foreign Secretary for using the £350m figure.

The UK Statistics Authority chairman published a letter saying he was “surprised and disappointed”.

She tweeted: “David Norgrove, resign. You are not fit to be head of UK statistics when you deliberately play politics to deceive and distort basic facts.”

Following Sir David’s initial letter, Mr Johnson accused the statistics chief of a “complete misrepresentation” of his views and called on him to withdraw the criticism.

“He claimed the statistics boss had privately conceded he was “more concerned by the headline” and the coverage of the controversial article and “accepted that I was not responsible for those”.

Adowningstreetspokeswoman claimed Mr Johnson had “clarified” his views. Mr Johnson’s onetime ally Michael Gove offered his backing. 0 Justin Trudeau says Canada respects the UK’S needs