UK PM Johnson: We are changing the direction of the UK economy

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he was changing the direction of the British economy, shifting away from a reliance on cheap imported labour.

"We are embarking now on a change of direction that has been long overdue in the UK economy," Johnson said.

"We're not going back to the same old broken model, with low wages, low growth, low skills and low productivity - all of it enabled, and assisted by uncontrolled immigration.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan, writing by William James, editing by Alistair Smout)