Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BIGGEST VILLAIN
Johnson in US ambassador blast
SHAMELESS Boris Johnson was branded the “biggest villain” in the saga which led to Britain’s US ambassador quitting.
The spineless Tory leadership hopeful faced a third day of fury over his “despicable” decision not to back top UK diplomat Sir Kim Darroch.
The envoy resigned this week after leaked memos revealed he branded Donald Trump inept.
Senior ministers rallied round Sir Kim, but he was hung out to dry by Johnson. And MPS rounded on the former Foreign Secretary’s betrayal in an emergency Commons debate yesterday.
Shadow Foreign Office Minister Liz Mcinnes said: “The biggest villain of all is the man who is about to become our next Prime Minister.
“He had the chance on Tuesday night, not just once but six times, to defend Sir Kim and oppose Donald Trump. But, instead, he made an active choice to throw our man in Washington under the bus.
“It was the most craven and despicable act of cowardice...”
Johnson caused outrage after refusing to support the civil servant, 65, in a TV head-to-head with No10 rival Jeremy Hunt. The snub fuelled Sir Kim’s decision to quit, according to friends.
Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan said there was no evidence the memos had been unearthed by computer hacking. Instead, a probe was looking at the possibility they had been “illicitly” released by someone with access. Speaking in Dover, Kent, yesterday, Johnson said: “I rang Kim… and said how much I regretted his resignation.” Yet he denied he was responsible for his departure, adding: “The real culprit in all this is the person who chose to leak confidential advice.”