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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Boris Johnson 'to campaign for Brexit in EU referendum' | Boris Johnson 'to campaign for Brexit in EU referendum' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Boris Johnson is to transform the terms of the EU referendum debate by announcing that he is to throw his weight behind the campaign to take Britain out of the EU, according to the BBC. | Boris Johnson is to transform the terms of the EU referendum debate by announcing that he is to throw his weight behind the campaign to take Britain out of the EU, according to the BBC. |
| In the biggest boost to the Leave campaign so far, the London mayor is to announce that after much soul-searching he now believes the time has come for Britain to end its EU membership. | |
| Related: EU referendum campaign enlivened amid reports Boris Johnson backs Brexit - live | Related: EU referendum campaign enlivened amid reports Boris Johnson backs Brexit - live |
| The news was broken by the BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, who tweeted: | |
| Boris WILL campaign to leave the EU -Huge boost for Out, big blow for number ten altho expected - more soon | Boris WILL campaign to leave the EU -Huge boost for Out, big blow for number ten altho expected - more soon |
| The report was being seen in Westminster as authoritative because Johnson recorded a broadcast interview with the BBC in which he was due to explain his thinking. He will formally outline his position in a Daily Telegraph column that is expected to be published at 10pm. | The report was being seen in Westminster as authoritative because Johnson recorded a broadcast interview with the BBC in which he was due to explain his thinking. He will formally outline his position in a Daily Telegraph column that is expected to be published at 10pm. |
| The move will come as a severe blow to David Cameron, who had pleaded with the London mayor earlier on Sunday to avoid “linking arms” with Nigel Farage and George Galloway in backing Britain’s exit from the EU. But by the weekend, the prime minister was pretty confident that Johnson would follow Michael Gove, the justice secretary and his close cabinet colleague, in campaigning to leave. | The move will come as a severe blow to David Cameron, who had pleaded with the London mayor earlier on Sunday to avoid “linking arms” with Nigel Farage and George Galloway in backing Britain’s exit from the EU. But by the weekend, the prime minister was pretty confident that Johnson would follow Michael Gove, the justice secretary and his close cabinet colleague, in campaigning to leave. |
| Opinion polls show that Johnson would have provided a significant boost to the campaign to stay had he decided to support the prime minister in the referendum. | Opinion polls show that Johnson would have provided a significant boost to the campaign to stay had he decided to support the prime minister in the referendum. |
| Johnson had been toying with various options over the last six months, but last week he indicated to close friends that he was leaning towards Brexit. | Johnson had been toying with various options over the last six months, but last week he indicated to close friends that he was leaning towards Brexit. |
| Related: Cameron has secured his EU deal, so what happens now? | |
| The mayor will have his work cut out to convince Tories at Westminster that he has made the decision, as Gove did, out of conviction and not because he believes that supporting a UK exit from the EU will boost his credentials as a future leader of the party. | The mayor will have his work cut out to convince Tories at Westminster that he has made the decision, as Gove did, out of conviction and not because he believes that supporting a UK exit from the EU will boost his credentials as a future leader of the party. |
| In recent weeks Johnson had been overheard saying that he was not an “outer”. He had also been flirting with Eurosceptic ideas that fell short of endorsing a UK exit from the EU, fuelling suspicions that he was calculating the best option to boost his leadership chances. | In recent weeks Johnson had been overheard saying that he was not an “outer”. He had also been flirting with Eurosceptic ideas that fell short of endorsing a UK exit from the EU, fuelling suspicions that he was calculating the best option to boost his leadership chances. |
| Johnson spoke over the summer to Dominic Cummings, the Vote Leave campaign director and former Gove special adviser, to discuss his idea for two referendums. | Johnson spoke over the summer to Dominic Cummings, the Vote Leave campaign director and former Gove special adviser, to discuss his idea for two referendums. |
| When that idea was knocked down by the prime minister, Johnson alighted on the idea of finding a way to formally re-assert the sovereignty of the UK parliament. | When that idea was knocked down by the prime minister, Johnson alighted on the idea of finding a way to formally re-assert the sovereignty of the UK parliament. |
| Cameron said he would address this in an announcement next week, and was widely expected to introduce a bill to deal with the issue. The decision by Johnson to announce his intentions on Sunday was proof that he was unimpressed by the prime minister’s proposed offering. | Cameron said he would address this in an announcement next week, and was widely expected to introduce a bill to deal with the issue. The decision by Johnson to announce his intentions on Sunday was proof that he was unimpressed by the prime minister’s proposed offering. |