Boris’s brave vision

IN recent months we have heard nothing from ministers but gloom and defeatism about Brexit. Their talk has been of massive divorce payments, clinging to the single market and falling off a cliff-edge.

But in a personal 4,000-word Brexit manifesto, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson offers a very different perspective. A revitalised Britain, in control of its destiny, trading with the EU but more importantly reaching out to the wider world.

A dynamic, flexible economy driven by science and technology, a housing and infrastructure revolution, paid for partly by the billions we save in EU contributions, a simplified tax system and a slashing of business red tape. And for those who write off this country and think we lack the nerve and confidence to succeed, Mr Johnson has an unequivocal message. ‘They have been proved wrong before and they will be proved wrong again.’

Of course, the Foreign Secretary has a reputation for being hugely ambitious. In the febrile corridors of Westminster, his intervention is seen as an attempt to bounce Theresa May into taking a hard line in her keynote Brexit speech on Friday. Some say it’s the start of a leadership bid. But Mr Johnson was an ardent Leave campaigner and without his passion and oratory, Britain would probably have voted Remain. So, hasn’t he every right to remind his Cabinet colleagues that Brexit is not a problem but an historic opportunity?