Thursday 07 January 2016 1:46 pm

Mayor of London Boris Johnson: “I want to be part of a reformed EU”

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has said he wants the UK to be part of a reformed European Union, but that if "we can't get the reform we need, Britain has a great, great future outside in a different relationship".

Speaking to the BBC, Johnson would not say which side he would campaign for in the upcoming referendum, as he is waiting to see what the outcome of the negotiations between the UK and the EU is.

"The Prime Minister is playing a difficult hand, but playing it very well," Johnson said. "Let's see where we get to in February, March or whenever it's going to be."

Johnson added that in the talks with other European nations it's important to be robust and recognise that the UK has the fifth biggest economy in the world. Germany, for example, which has a massive trade surplus with the UK, is going to want to maintain good trading relations with the UK in any eventuality, he said. "We have a good future either way."

The mayor's comments come months after he warned that if the United Kingdom doesn't get a deal on treaty change it would vote to leave the European Union.

Also speaking the BBC, Johnson said that the Prime Minister's decision to allow ministers to campaign on both the In and Out side of the EU referendum is not a loss of control by Cameron. However, Johnson refused to rule out the prospect of campaigning against the Prime Minister in the build-up to the referendum.

The statements by Johnson come on the same day that a new poll found a majority of Britons who have made up their minds would vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, piling pressure on the Prime Minister to secure his demands for reform from other European nations.

Cameron is in Germany today, where he is seeking support for his reform agenda. The Prime Minister is hoping to reach an EU-wide agreement at a summit next month.