UK politics - as it happened: Theresa May's Brexit plan 'substantially worse' than status quo, says Boris Johnson
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has branded Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint “substantially worse to the status quo” during an event designed to highlight benefits of a no-deal Brexit.
Asked whether he was confident the prime minister’s plan, which he resigned over, was “equivalent to the status quo”, the former foreign secretary said: “That seems to me to be a particular economic risk in Chequers that makes it substantially worse to the status quo.”
His remarks came after the former Conservative leader William Hague warned Britain faces the “most serious constitutional crisis” for a least a century if Ms May’s deal is eventually blocked in the Commons.
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Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, has told the Economists For Free Trade event in the Commons that Theresa May's Chequers plans is "substantially worse than the status quo".
Breaking: Hammond says he's been speaking with the governor of the Bank of England - he has agreed to continue until the end of January 2020
John McDonnell asks Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, to say he would not accept a no deal. Hammond says all members of the cabinet are committed to achieving a deal. "We are working against the clock and will be working flat out over the coming months to achieve that," he says.
This is from my colleague Lizzy Buchan, who was at the Economists for Free Trade Event
Boris Johnson, who arrived late to the speech, asked: “Are you really so confident that chequers is equivalent to the status quo?
“It seems to me that there is this particular economic objection in abandoning our seat around the table in Brussels and beginning to accept the single market legislation, all manner of it, not just goods… but environmental standards and so on.
“We will be exposing UK businesses and manufacturers of goods and innovations to whatsoever rules the EU decides in the future, to devise, even though those rules may be inimical to the interests UK innovation.
“That seems to me to be a particular economic risk in Chequers that makes it substantially worse to the status quo.”
He dodged questions from journalists as he tried to leave the event on whether he would be willing to oust Theresa May from No 10 and also refused to answer if he had full confidence in the PM.
Asked about the prospects of Ms May facing a leadership challenge, he said: "This is absolutely nothing to do with that, this is all about trying to change the position on the European Union negotiations, which at the moment I think are verging on the humiliating for this country."
He added: "It is about getting a change in the policy."
During Treasury questions, Philip Hammond also signalled an end to the fuel duty freeze that has been kept at a rate of 57.95p per litre (for petrol and diesel) since 2011.
Mr Hammond told MPs that his own department's analysis from 2014, which stated that the benefits of the freeze offset all tax losses, would "have to be looked at again in the context of the economy today".
The Chancellor made the comments after revealing that the freeze had cost the Exchequer around £46bn and is set to cost a further £38bn - twice as much as that spent on NHS nurses and doctors each year.
He said: "To support British households, the Government has frozen fuel duty for eight successive years, by April 2019 these freezes will have saved the average car driver £850 compared to the pre-2010 escalator and the average van driver over £2,100.
"But it is important that we remember the other side of this coin, the fuel duty freezes since 2011 have meant the Exchequer has foregone around £46bn in revenues through to 2018/19 - and a further £38bn will be foregone over the budget forecast period as a result of these previously announced freezes.
"For context this is about twice as much as we spend on all NHS nurses and doctors each year."
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