+ A
A -
REUTERS
LONDON
Prime Minister Theresa May slapped down her foreign minister on Tuesday after he demanded more funding for Britain's public health service, telling him any discussion of money saved from Brexit should be kept private.
Boris Johnson, whose promises that Britain's departure from the European Union would boost funds for the National Health Service helped persuade many voters to back Brexit, raised his demands at a regular meeting of her top ministers after publicly calling for an extra 100 million pounds ($140 million) a week.
But the response was swift. May, trying to reassert her authority, said any money saved from Brexit would be spent on her priorities, including health, and that ministers should not air discussions outside her cabinet meetings.
"The prime minister and a large number of cabinet ministers made the point that cabinet discussions should take place in private," her spokesman told reporters, describing the hour-long discussion on the NHS as"constructive".
"As regards the future, and how the return of any EU contribution would be spent, the prime minister reminded cabinet that the government has consistently said that we will spend money on our priorities such as housing, schools and the NHS."
