Boris Johnson’s supporters hail the Theresa May’s Brexit plan as a big victory for him over Philip Hammond

BORIS Johnson’s supporters last night hailed the PM’s punchy Brexit plan as a major victory for him over the Chancellor.

After six months of internal Cabinet debate, Theresa May opted for the Foreign Secretary’s plea to lay down the gauntlet to Brussels.

His allies hailed key decisions to leave the single market, pull out of two thirds of the customs union and end “vast” EU budget payments as the arguments Boris has been making since the EU referendum campaign.

A source close to Boris said: “A tonne of Boris’s language was in the PM’s speech.

“This is his victory over the Treasury on the major policies.”

Taking a markedly different line, Philip Hammond has instead urged a more cautious approach to the Article 50 talks.

At one stage he said any failure to win access to the single market would be “a catastrophe”.

But Treasury sources hit back to insist the PM’s dedication to trying to win a transition phase to ease any cliff edge for businesses was a key demand of Mr Hammond’s.

Mr Hammond has also insisted the UK keeps its trade with the EU customs-free, which Mrs May also asked for yesterday.

Boris last night dubbed Mrs May’s speech “fantastic”, adding: “It is a very exciting vision for this country”.

The Chancellor told MPs that the PM’s plan was about “engaging constructively with the real world” and “recognising the political red lines of our European Union partners”.

He added: “If we don’t recognise them we are banging our heads against the wall”.