Boris Johnson's five-word Brexit warning as he erupts at Labour for ditching key policy

Boris Johnson warned that Labour will "axe Brexit next" after Sir Keir Starmer's party ditched the former prime minister's "levelling up" phrase from a government department.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) was given its name by Mr Johnson in 2021 as he sought to highlight his commitment to improving all parts of the country and reducing inequality.

But under Labour, the department has reverted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Johnson said: "Axing levelling up shows lack of ambition and a failure to believe in this country’s potential. Labour will axe Brexit next.

"Then they will pointlessly whack up taxes. The drift backwards has begun."

Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State in charge of the department, insisted there would be "no more gimmicks and slogans" following the move.

She said: "A government of public service means fixing the fundamentals to deliver for the British people.

"No more gimmicks and slogans, but the hard yards of governing in the national interest."

Jim McMahon, a minister in the department, told the BBC the old name had been "firmly Tipp-Exed out of the department yesterday" as part of an effort to "refocus" on local government.

A Tory party spokesman said: "The Conservative levelling up agenda has been transformative for towns across the country, giving communities that Labour took for granted when they were last in office the investment they deserve.

"Labour's decision to scrap levelling up will be a disaster for these towns, and their refusal to rule out clawing back £1billion of Conservative funding from local communities for Labour politicians to spend in Westminster puts the future of our communities at risk."