Boris Johnson has promised the “beginning of a new golden age”, as he made his first Commons statement as PM.
Speaking to MPs, Mr Johnson said his government would throw itself into Brexit negotiations with energy.
He said other arrangements for the Northern Ireland backstop were “perfectly compatible with the Belfast Agreement to which we are, of course, steadfastly committed”.
He said Michael Gove would make plans for a no-deal Brexit a “top priority”.
Despite emphasising the importance of preparing for a no deal, Mr Johnson said he would “much prefer” to leave the EU with a deal and added that he will work “flat out to make it happen”.
However he told MPs the withdrawal agreement – negotiated by Theresa May with the EU – was “unacceptable to this Parliament and to this country”.
He also assured EU citizens living in the UK they would have “absolute certainty” of their right to live and remain in the country.
On immigration, he told MPs he wanted to change the system and he would be asking the Migration Advisory Committee to come up with new proposals.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to the statement saying: “The country is deeply worried the new prime minister overestimates himself.
“People do not trust this prime minister to make the right choices for the majority of the people in this country when he’s also promising tax giveaways to the richest of big business – his own party’s funders,” he said referring to a tax policy Mr Johnson proposed during the leadership campaign.
He also asked Mr Johnson to rule out “once and for all that our NHS is not going to be part of any trade deal with President Trump and the US”.
The new PM replied that “under no circumstances would we agree to any free-trade deal that put the NHS on the table.”
On Thursday, Mr Johnson addressed his cabinet for the first time as prime minister.
He told the cabinet they had “a momentous task ahead”, as he repeated his commitment for the UK to leave the EU on 31 October.
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