Boris Johnson is against turning the United Kingdom into a “mini-EU’ that would bring together the leaders of four nations on a regular basis.
The Tory PM is himself against federalist UK model seen by some Unionists as the only way to keep the UK from splitting apart under competing demands for independence after Brexit.
Answering questions in front of a committee of MPs Johnson insisted he was “Prime Minister of Scotland as well as the whole of the UK.”
Asked about renewing the relationship with devolved leaders he told the Commons Liaison committee: “The role of the Prime Minister of the UK is to be the head of the UK”
He added: “I’m very much in favour of the Council of the Isles, for instance, where we come together with representatives across the whole of the British Isles to talk about issues that matter to us. On the other hand I think that we want to turn our deliberations into a kind of mini-EU, if I may say so.”
Johnson spoke ahead of the expected publication of the Dunlop Review on UK Government capability on the Union.
Lord Dunlop, the former Scotland Office Minister and David Cameron adviser, undertook a review for Theresa May into the working of the Union. It is due to propose a new system to to manage intergovernmental relations and cooperation.
The PM insisted to MPs that there was more unity between himself and leaders of the devolved administrations than there often appeared to be in public comments.
He said: “Obviously I need a good relationship with with everybody and I talked many times to to Nicola, to Mark, to Michelle and Arlene, continue to do so and that’s that’s the way it should be.
"But what I didn’t think it would necessarily be right to have a sort of permanent council, as it were, the kind of thing taking place tomorrow in Brussels tomorrow. I didn’t think that’s the model we’re after.”
Johnson clashed with SNP MP Angus Brendan MacNeil over Scottish independence at the Liaison Committee.
MacNeil asked whether Johnson would respect a future vote in favour of independence in Scotland or Wales.
The Prime Minister said: “When you ask people to vote on a highly controversial and divisive issue, an issue that breaks up family relationships, that is extremely toxic and divisive, and you tell them this is going to happen only once in a generation, I think you should stick to it.”
Asked if he would “respect the ballot box”, Johnson said: “I greatly respect the ballot box.”
