Boris Johnson: Yes, we will have £350m per week to spend on NHS after Brexit

Boris Johnson has renewed the claim the UK will have £350m a week to spend on the NHS after Brexit.

The Foreign Secretary set out a detailed vision for Brexit in a 4,000 word Daily Telegraph article, insisting that a UK free from the EU could "be the greatest country on earth".

The article has fuelled speculation about Mr Johnson's leadership ambitions, but he insisted he was "all behind Theresa for a glorious Brexit" and "looking forward" to the Prime Minister's upcoming Brexit speech in Italy next week.

The Leave campaign's most prominent pledge in the run up to the 2016 referendum was that the NHS would benefit from £350m per week that the UK would have if it were to end its EU contributions.

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The pledge was mocked by the Remain campaign, who accused Leave of making bogus claims and misleading the public.

The controversial claim even led Leave campaigner Dr Sarah Wollaston to defect to the Remain camp, saying Leave had "knowingly placed a financial lie at the heart of their campaign".

However, Mr Johnson stuck by the claim as he set out the benefits he believes the UK will enjoy once it breaks away from the bloc.

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He said: "And yes - once we have settled our accounts, we will take back control of roughly £350 million per week. It would be a fine thing as many of us have pointed out if a lot of that money went on the NHS, provided we use that cash injection to modernise and make the most of new technology.

"The NHS is one of the great unifying institutions of our country. It is the top political priority of the British people and, under the leadership of Jeremy Hunt, it is indeed the top priority of the Conservative party.

"Coming out of the EU will give us an opportunity to drive that message home."

The Foreign Secretary also wrote about opportunities for the UK once it takes control if its cash, borders and laws.

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"At the stroke of a pen, the Chancellor will be able to cut VAT on tampons; often demanded by Parliament but - absurdly - legally impossible to deliver," he said.

Mr Johnson added: "We will have an immigration policy that suits the UK, not slamming the door but welcoming the talent we need, from the EU and around the world."

A spokesman for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the intervention had "laid bare the conflicts at the heart of Theresa May's Government".

"In the process he has exposed the Tories' real Brexit agenda - a race to the bottom in regulation and corporate tax cuts to benefit the wealthy few at the expense of the rights of the rest of us," he said.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said the PM must "slap down" her Foreign Secretary, who he described as a "Poundland Donald Trump".