BORIS Johnson is not sorry for drawing a link between Brexit and the war in Ukraine, his official spokesperson has said. 

The news comes despite reports that Johnson regretted drawing a comparison between the two, with a close source telling The Times: “It sounded better written down."

The latest comments come amid fallout following a speech given by the Prime Minister to his party’s “Spring Forum” in which he appeared to liken voting for Brexit to fighting against the Russian invasion.

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Johnson said: “I know it’s the instinct of people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom every time. I can give you a couple of recent examples.

“When the British people voted for Brexit in such large numbers, I don’t believe it was because they are remotely hostile to foreigners, it’s because they wanted to be free to do things differently.”

In the wake of outrage at the comments, the UK Government insisted Johnson did not in fact compare Brexit to the Ukraine war.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it was “spurious” to say the Prime Minister had been drawing a comparison between Brexit and Ukraine, adding: “I think most normal people listening to that wouldn’t have drawn that conclusion.”

Asked about the fallout, Boris Johnson's official spokesperson denied Johnson regretted the comments.

"He was making observations about people's desire for freedom," the spokesperson said.

“There was not a direct comparison made between fighting in Ukraine. As the Chancellor [Rishi Sunak] said, they are not directly analogous."

The spokesperson added: “It is worth noting that the Ukrainian ambassador was in the audience at the time and gave a standing ovation at the end of the speech, and he tweeted his thanks to the Prime Minister.”