Boris Johnson’s removal has cleared the way for better Brexit relationship, Michel Barnier says

The EU’s former Brexit chief negotiator calls for closer ties as polls show British public think Brexit has failed, writes Jon Stone

The EU’s former chief negotiator Michel Barnier (Reuters)

A closer Brexit relationship is possible now Boris Johnson has been removed as prime minister, Michel Barnier has said – as polling on the seventh anniversary of the referendum shows voters believe Britain's exit from the EU isn't working.

Just one in three voters now think leaving the EU was a good idea, while four in five say that Britain should develop tighter links with Brussels, the surveys show.

It comes as Gina Miller, one of the leaders of the Remain campaign, set out a three-year blueprint for how Britain could rejoin the bloc, while Tony Blair's think tank has spelled out 10 areas where a closer economic relationship could take shape.