Professor Sir Andre Geim said that a no-deal Brexit would plunge the country into turmoil for “many years”

Boris Johnson was accused by a Nobel laureate last night of taking scientists “for fools” after he announced plans to attract the “best minds from around the world” after Brexit.

Announcing an overhaul of the immigration system, the prime minister promised to make it easier for leading academics to settle in Britain when it had left the European Union.

His proposal was ridiculed by the world-leading physicist Professor Sir Andre Geim, whose discovery of graphene was lauded by Mr Johnson in his announcement.

Sir Andre was joined by other prominent British scientists in warning that leaving the EU — particularly without a deal — would cause long-lasting damage to the country’s status as a world leader in science.

“The government may try and reduce