IT’S WAR!
Boris and Theresa trade blows over his attack on the Saudis – as she’s accused of belittling a potential leadership rival
THERESA May and Boris Johnson were at war last night over his plain- speaking style of diplomacy.
Downing Street delivered a public rebuke to the Foreign Secretary yesterday after he bracketed Saudi Arabia with Iran and accused the wealthy desert kingdom of fuelling ‘proxy wars’ in the Middle East.
The comments infuriated the Prime Minister, who has just returned from a charm offensive in the Gulf during which she held talks with the new Saudi king, seen as a key British ally in the region.
Asked about Mr Johnson’s claim that the Saudis are acting as ‘puppeteers’ in the brutal wars in Syria and Yemen, Mrs May’s official spokesman said bluntly: ‘Those are the Foreign Secretary’s views, they’re not the Government’s position.’
The spokesman insisted the Prime Minister still had ‘full confidence’ in her Foreign Secretary, whose unguarded comments were caught on camera, but Downing Street suggested Mr Johnson would be expected to set the record straight when he travels to Saudi Arabia for talks with senior officials.
Whitehall sources said Mr Johnson was unrepentant and would not be apologising. ‘He’s been slapped down for telling the truth,’ said one. ‘His remarks reflect what has been said to the Saudis, to their faces, on many occasions in private.’
Allies of Mr Johnson were aghast at No 10’s decision to attack him so publicly. Privately, they think Mrs May is seeking to belittle him because she fears he could yet emerge as a challenger to her leadership. A friend of the Foreign Secretary said: ‘Theresa May wants to lead a government of Star Wars-style drones – she doesn’t know how to deal with a Jedi knight. Downing Street’s repeated punishment beatings are a sign of weakness, not strength. They fear his popularity so try to belittle him.’
Former Middle East minister Alistair Burt said Mr Johnson would have to ‘quickly repair’ the damage caused by diverging from the Government’s position.
He told Radio 4 the relationship between Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister had to be close, ‘but ultimately it is the Prime Minister who sets the tone and direction of the Government’.
He added: ‘It is essential the Foreign Secretary speaks and is seen to speak with the voice of the Government… and I expect that relationship will be quickly repaired.’ But Mr Burt acknowl- edged that Mr Johnson’s comments were in line with views expressed by Western leaders in private for years. ‘In private conversations, we are very direct,’ he said. ‘But we live in an open society where criticism is accepted. There are other societies where it is seen as dangerous.’
The row erupted after footage emerged of Mr Johnson at a conference in Rome last week.
He said there were not enough ‘ big characters’ in the Middle East willing to ‘reach out beyond their Sunni or Shia’ group.
He added: ‘ That’s why you’ve got the Saudis, Iran, everybody, moving in and puppeteering and playing proxy wars.’ Mr Johnson also accused politicians in the region of ‘twisting and abusing religion’, but aides said this was not aimed at Saudi Arabia.
Mrs May’s spokesman said: ‘[Mr Johnson] will be in Saudi Arabia on Sunday and will have the opportunity to set out the way the UK sees its relationship with Saudi and the work we want to do with them and other partners to bring an end to the appalling conflict in Yemen.’
She added the UK had been clear in its support for the Saudiled coalition seeking to restore control of Yemen to its ‘legitimate government’ after Houthi rebels threw the country into conflict in 2015. Sources suggested the timing of the row had aggravated matters. Mr John- son’s comments emerged as Mrs May returned from a trip to the Gulf, where she is seeking to forge strong economic and security links as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
The Foreign Office said: ‘As the Foreign Secretary made very clear on Sunday, we are allies with Saudi Arabia and support them in their efforts to secure their borders and protect their people. Any suggestion to the contrary is wrong.’
Lib Dem spokesman Tom Brake said: ‘This will be a huge embarrassment to Mrs May as she returns from her grubby tour of the Gulf, where she did her best to ignore human rights and desperately push trade at all costs.’