Possible Brexit deal could HALT EU immigration AND keep Britain in the single market

BORIS JOHNSON is confident Britain will strike a deal with Europe that combines free trade with slashing immigration.

The Foreign Secretary said he had detected a “quite striking” change of mood in European capitals “as understanding starts to break in and people see what this is all about”. 

Mr Johnson insisted a deal could be done combining the benefits of free trade with a curtailing of migration. 

He said: “I have absolutely no doubt that balance can be struck and over the next few weeks we’ll be discussing that in the Government and with our European friends and partners. Be in no doubt that this is something where everybody wishes to make fast progress in the economic interests both of Britain and the EU.

“I think there is very much a deal there to be done and the faster we can get on and do it the better.”

His comments come exactly one month after Britain voted to leave the EU. 

Mr Johnson, who was the most prominent member of the Leave campaign, has enjoyed an extraordinary first 10 days in office and has hosted two conferences in London on the conflicts in Syria and Yemen as well as visiting Brussels, Washington and New York. 

During a first visit in his new position to United Nations headquarters in New York, where he voted in the Security Council for a unanimously passed resolution to destroy chemical weapons in Libya then met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Mr Johnson emphasised Britain would not be withdrawing from its global role because it is leaving the EU. 

“When we talk about Brexit and Britain leaving the European Union, this is not Britain leaving Europe. We are going to be more committed than ever before to cooperation and participation and support for other European countries, whether through defence policy, coordination of foreign policy or counter-terrorism.

"The UK is going to be more visible, more active, more energetic than ever before.” 

He distanced Britain from Donald Trump by saying that the country’s decision to leave the EU should not be likened to the Republican presidential candidate’s “America first” foreign policy. 

He said he wants to draw a “very strong contrast between Brexit and any kind of isolationism.” 

On the contrary, Mr Johnson said, one of the main reasons he came to the UN was to show that “Brexit means us being more outward looking, more engaged, more energetic, more enthusiastic and committed on the world stage than ever before”. 

Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood, who accompanied Mr Johnson to a global summit on terror in Washington last week, said: “It was a very successful trip where everyone seemed very receptive to our plans for Britain’s future. 

“Obviously it’s early days and we need to be realistic – leaving the EU is not going to be a straightforward process but the simple fact is other countries want to do business with us. 

He’s an extremely amusing, intelligent man
Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
“Boris was given a very warm welcome by his foreign counterparts. His first week in office has been somewhat of a baptism of fire with Nice, Turkey, US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit and then Washington and New York but he’s getting stuck into the job. 

“We’ve had a very constructive meeting with Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.” 

Ms Bishop later told reporters her first talks with Mr Johnson were “convivial, very friendly and warm”. 

She said the pair had already exchanged text messages, adding: “He’s an extremely amusing, intelligent man. We discussed a number of very serious matters including the Iraq and Syria, Yemen and Libya situations. 

“We also spoke about the opportunities for a trade deal between Australia and the United Kingdom as a result of Brexit.” 

Last week Mr Johnson wrote exclusively for the Sunday Express as he argued that Britain can seize a world of new opportunities after leaving the EU to become a “truly global” nation. Singapore, Malaysia and India had all made contact about trade deals. 

Speaking after a meeting with chief executives of multinational businesses in America, Mr Johnson said he had received reassurances from those companies, including banks, drug makers and manufacturers, that Britain remained “very much part” of their global business footprint, although they expressed concern over the uncertainty ahead over how the Government negotiates its separation from the EU. 

Nonetheless, Mr Johnson said: “They regard this as an opportunity for the UK. If we get this right, this can be a fantastic thing.”

German industry leaders last week demanded that the EU allows Britain to restrict migration while maintaining the two countries’ trading relationship. 

One trade body warned that Europe would suffer unless it gives in to calls from Britain to be able to control the number of EU migrants coming in. 

Oliver Zander, director general of the Federation of German Employers’ Associations in the Metal and Electrical Engineering Industries, told a German news agency: “There has to be balance between the interest of the business community, to keep the British as integrated as possible, and the wish of the UK to adapt free movement. 

“The German metal and electrical engineering industries deliver more than £46billion worth of products to the UK each year. We should do everything to prevent a rupture. Otherwise we only damage each other.” 

The appeal came after French president Francois Hollande said the UK would not be allowed to remain in the single market if it wanted to restrict free movement. 

The following day, Luxembourg admitted that Britain could prosper outside the EU. 

Finance minister Pierre Gramegna said he would “not exclude” the possibility of the City of London being “more successful by not being inside the EU”. 

He told The Wall Street Journal: “We don’t want the largest financial centre in the world to turn its back on Luxembourg’s financial centre.”