War of words over PM’S holiday

Boris Johnson’s office has been accused of smearing SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford and putting his family’s safety at risk.

The row centres on the prime minister’s holiday, which was cut short after pictures of the cottage he was staying in – in Mr Blackford’s Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency – were published.

Mr Blackford condemned the “violation” of Mr Johnson’s privacy but said a “senior Conservative source in Downing Street” was reported to have said the “finger of blame for all this getting out is being pointed at the SNP, particularly Ian Blackford who is local”.

Raising a point of order in the Commons, Mr Blackford said: “This allegation and briefing was entirely and deliberately false, it was a targeted political smear from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The photographer who provided the material for the original Daily Mail front page later confirmed that I was not the source in revealing the prime minister’s location – a location, I might add, I was not even aware of.”

He said threats against him were made on social media.

Mr Johnson said: “I just draw his attention... to a tweet by a chap called Torcuil Crichton on August 17 saying: ‘Ferocious midge count in Wester Ross tonight, I hear. Must be bad if you’re fair-skinned and camping’ to which an account, which purports to be (Mr Blackford) but I’m sure it isn’t because of what he’s just said, says: ‘I wonder if an education at Eton stands you in good stead for these blighters’.

“Anyway, I’m happy to accept his assurances and protestations and I think we should leave it at that.”

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle expressed concerns about the security implications for both Mr Johnson and Mr Blackford, adding to MPS: “Let’s learn from this.”