Boris Johnson slams ‘bizarre’ criticism he threw Britain’s ambassador to US Sir Kim Darroch ‘under the bus’
BORIS Johnson has hit back to label bitter criticism that he threw Britain’s ambassador to the US “under the bus” as “bizarre”.
Embattled Sir Kim Darroch stunned Westminster by quitting his top post after his blunt secret cables enraged Donald Trump.
PM Theresa May could pick a replacement before she steps down after ministers told her the role was too important to be left vacant for long, The Times reported last night.
The respected top diplomat’s decision plunged Britain’s relations with the US Presidency to its lowest level in decades.
The Tory leadership frontrunner came in for stinging criticism after he repeatedly refused to pledge his public support for embattled Sir Kim during ITV’s head to head leadership debate on Tuesday night.
Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan even branded Boris an “utter wimp” who wasn’t able to stand up to Trump’s barrage of Twitter abuse.
The Sun has learned that the ambassador decided to resign late on Tuesday night after hearing Boris’s comments, which were one of several factors in his move.
They stood in stark contrast to No10 rival Jeremy Hunt’s fulsome support for Sir Kim to carry on.
Stung by a wave of criticism, Mr Johnson insisted he was “a great supporter of Kim’s”.
BORIS HITS BACK
And he revealed he rang the 65 year-old ambassador afternoon to commiserate.
Boris told The Sun: “I can’t believe they’re trying to blame me for this.
“It seems bizarre to me. I’m a great supporter of Kim’s. I worked very well with him for years.
“I spoke to him just now to offer my good wishes. I think that he’s done a superb job.
“I’d be very surprised that’s the construction placed on events.”
Quizzed on why he failed to express the same support on Tuesday night, Boris argued: “I don’t think it’s right to drag public servants’ careers into the arena in that way.
“I thought it was most odd that the career of particular servant should suddenly become a test case within a TV debate.”
In his resignation letter, Sir Kim – branded “a very stupid guy” by the president - said the furore made it “impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like”.
He added: “Although my posting is not due to end until the end of this year, I believe in the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador”.
'IT WAS A FACTOR, NOT THE FACTOR'
Mrs May told MPs that his departure was a “matter of great regret”, adding: “The whole Cabinet rightly gave its full support to Sir Kim on Tuesday”.
It has emerged that the PM may move swiftly to appoint a successor in the prized post to deny Boris the decision.
One theory for the devastating leak of Sir Kim’s secret ‘diptels’ was to force him out and allow the new PM to put a passionate Brexiteer political appointee in his place.
Friends of Sir Kim said he told Mr Johnson during their phone call that the wannabe PM’s failure to support him was one factor in his resignation.
The friend said: “He told Boris that what he said during the debate was one of four factors that led to his decision to go.
“It was a factor, not the factor, but it did contribute.”
The others were Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross cancelling a key meeting with Trade Secretary Liam Fox in Washington DC on Tuesday, President Trump’s further tweets about Sir Kim, and a desire to be “in his control of his own destiny”, the friend added.
A proxy war over Sir Kim’s fate erupted between Boris and Hunt supporters.
Earlier ex-Tory PM Sir John Major heaped pressure on Boris to U-turn and back the ambassador in the stand off, saying: ““He must not be thrown to the dogs.
“There comes a time when principle must come first”.
Boris critic and senior MP Tom Tugendhat said: “Leaders stand up for their men. They encourage them to try and defend them when they fail”.
It also left some Boris supporters unhappy with him, with one Tory MP telling The Sun: “It leaves me uncomfortable. It wasn’t the right thing for Boris to do”.
But he was defended by supporter ex-Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who attacked Hunt backers for “a shabby attempt to politicise” the resignation.
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