BORIS Johnson outlined his message for those "moaning and droning" about Brexit today, telling a major conference: "Come off it, sunshine."

The Foreign Secretary hit out at those warning "the sky was about to fall in" as he addressed the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) conference in London earlier today.

The comments came one day after former Tory prime minister John Major criticised the current government's "cheap rhetoric" over leaving the EU, claiming the public had been a sold a future that is "unreal and over-optimistic".

However, Johnson said the UK is heading towards a "fantastic" free trade deal in the Article 50 negotiations and will become the "leading force" for globalisation.

Addressing business leaders, he said: "Sometimes when I hear people moaning and droning about the state of the world I get a bit impatient.

“When I hear them warn that the sky is about to fall on our heads I feel like saying 'come off it, sunshine'.”

He went on: "Every generation hears its prognostications of gloom. And look at us today. We are living longer than ever before. We are healthier than ever."

The BCC has indicated its support for a delay on Brexit if a trade deal is not settled by 2019. It also wants companies to retain the ability to recruit skilled workers from EU nations after the process is complete.

When questioned about the length of talks, Johnson said the UK should "go at this full tilt and get it done within two years".

However, he also said: "It depends how our friends and partners choose to handle it. They can play it long, they have electoral considerations.

"Let’s see how it goes.”

However, the former London mayor insisted that the interests of EU nations in exporting cars, champagne and prosecco to the UK mean a new arrangement will be made on time.

He said: "What we need to do now is work with our partners to ensure we have a strong EU and a strong UK, connected by a fantastic free trade deal, which is manifestly in the interest of both sides."

Johnson also cautioned that it would be "profoundly wrong and make no economic sense" for post-Brexit Britain to reject globalisation by closing its markets, continuing: "Under this government, led by Theresa May, Britain is preparing once again to be the leading champion for that liberating and enriching force.

"We can be that great free trading nation again and we can be ever more internationalist."

When asked about Major, Johnson said the mood in the rest of Europe is changing in the UK's favour, stating: "When I first went to other European capitals they were in a state of shock, of puzzlement. They hadn’t expected the Brexit outcome. That mood has almost entirely vanished."

Urging against negativity, he told the audience: "It’s very important as we set out on this journey that we are positive about the outcome.

The speech came after a meeting in which Brexit Minister David Davis told Cabinet colleagues their departments must prepare for the UK's "most important peacetime agreement" as well as the "unlikely scenario that no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached".

A Downing Street spokesman said Prime Minister Theresa May had told senior ministers at the meeting that Britain was looking for a "smooth and orderly" transition.

He went on: "The message was that we are not going to fail, we are going to make a success of it.

"It is going to be difficult but our optimistic view is important."

The spokesman said Davis's Department for Exiting the EU was "still building its capabilities" nine months after its creation and will continue to do so during the negotiation process.