Boris Johnson has admitted he 'increasingly admires' Donald Trump's approach to international politics, adding the US president's 'might get somewhere' if he were to lead Brexit negotiations.

Speaking to a group of Thatherite Conservative activists at a private gathering on Wednesday evening, the Foreign Secretary revealed his innermost private thoughts regarding the UK's foreign policy, Brexit, Russia and Donald Trump.

In what has been interpreted as a thinly veiled swipe at British Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Johnson said of Mr Trump: 'Imagine Trump doing Brexit. He'd go in bloody hard… There'd be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos.

'Everyone would think he'd gone mad. But actually you might get somewhere. It's a very, very good thought.'

Mr Johnson said of Mr Trump: 'Imagine Trump doing Brexit. He'd go in bloody hard… There'd be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos'

During the hour-long sitdown with Conservative Way Forward activists in London, Mr Johnson also revealed he spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding North Korea, adding that America wanted the UK to play a part in helping to facilitate talks.

In the recording obtained by Buzzfeed, Mr Johnson said he had been in contact with Pompeo on Wednesday - the same day as the recording was taken - and that America wanted Britain to 'use our nuclear expertise to dismantle Kim Jong-Un's nuclear missile'.

Speaking of his conversation with the US Secretary of State, Mr Johnson said: 'Of course we’ve got to help the Americans do this thing…. I just talked to Mike Pompeo, my counterpart in the US State Department.

'What they want us to do is to use our nuclear expertise to dismantle Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear missile. That’s what he asked me to do today.'

The Foreign Secretary admitted he 'would love to' visit North Korea as he believes the UK has influence there, but that no immediate plans were in place to visit.

Mr Johnson was highly disparaging of Russia in the candid sit-down, claiming Putin was trying to disrupt the West because the former communist nation's economy had shrunk so dramatically.

'[Vladimir] Putin feels a deep sense of shame that he's leader of a country that has been so greatly reduced in its global importance,' Johnson said.

'When I was a kid, Russia really mattered. It's now got an economy about the size of Australia. Yeah, they've they've got a lot of nuclear weapons, but it's real importance in the world is greatly [diminished]. Putin's a revanchist. He wants to cause trouble. He wants to upset people like us.'

He also revealed British Prime Minister Theresa May would be putting forward a plan at the G7 meeting in Canada that would put Britain in driving seat in the fight against the Kremlin's aggression - something which Downing Street refused to comment on.

Mr Johnson said: 'On Friday, Theresa May will be in Charlevoix in Canada for the G7. She will be putting forward a British plan that will have global support to set up a rapid response unit to identify Russian malfeasance… whether it's cyber warfare, assassinations, calling it out and identifying it.'

Donald Trump was praised by Boris Johnson during a behind-closed-doors meeting with Conservative activists

Mr Johnson described China as a 'rival' when he was quizzed about whether Beijing was a threat or an ally to the UK.

He said: 'We need to engage with China diplomatically, treat China as our friend and our partner, but also recognise that they are our commercial rivals. And they will try to stiff us.'

He also claimed that American firms will no longer be at the forefront of innovation and technology, as Chinese companies would soon usurp them.

He said: 'The Americans have run the tech world for decades. Microsoft, Google, Apple, blah, blah, blah — we’re used to them winning. No, no, no. The Chinese are about to win. They’ve got 5G. They’ve found out a way.'

Brexit was also high on the agenda, and the Foreign Secretary admitted there had been friction between the Remain and Brexiteer camps in the Cabinet about what the future relationship with the EU should look like.

'I'm not going to hide it from you. There is an argument going on,' he told activists, before adding the 'moment of truth' would soon be upon Brexit negotiations.

He said the final Brexit deal may violate 'red lines' which Brexiteers vowed not to back down from, which would keep the UK 'locked in orbit around the EU', in the customs union and the single market.

Mr Johnson said his own red-line was that he would be willing to accept staying closer to the EU for longer than March 2019, when the UK formally leaves the bloc, but stated Remainers were overlooking the long-term benefits of leaving due to their short term hit leaving may have.

'They don't want any disruption of the economy. So they're sacrificing all the medium and long-term gains out of fear of short-term disruption,' he said.

He added: 'Unless you make the change, unless you have the guts to go for the independent policy, you're never going to get the economic benefits of Brexit. You'll never get the political benefits of Brexit.'

The Foreign Secretary also lambasted the issue of the Northern Irish border, stating he could not believe it had become such an obstacle in progressing talks with the EU.

'It's so small and there are so few firms that actually use that border regularly, it's just beyond belief that we're allowing the tail to wag the dog in this way. We're allowing the whole of our agenda to be dictated by this folly.'