Boris for Foreign Secretary?

David Cameron is warming to the idea of making Boris Johnson Foreign Secretary. As I write in The Sun this morning, Cameron is drawn to the idea of sending Boris to the Foreign Office in a post-May reshuffle. But a Cabinet ally of the Prime Minister stresses that Boris will have to be ‘unequivocally yes’ come the EU referendum if he is to be Foreign Secretary.

It is easy to see why the idea of doing what it take to bind Boris in before the referendum is gaining traction in Number 10. Polling shows that Cameron backing Britain staying part of the EU gives the In campaign a big boost. But if the next best know Tory, Boris, backs Out that effect is pretty much wiped out.

Philip Hammond, the current Foreign Secretary, is regarded as expendable by many in Downing Street. They calculate that he has now said too many pro-EU things to credibly back Out come the referendum.