Tory leadership race – live: Johnson under fire after ambassador resigns, as Labour face questions over antisemitism probes
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Your support makes all the difference.Conservative MPs rounded on Boris Johnson after it emerged that the US ambassador had decided to resign in the wake of the senior Tory's lack of support.
Sir Kim Darroch said his job had become “impossible” after the leak of diplomatic memos highly critical of Donald Trump’s administration.
His decision is understood to have been made after Mr Johnson repeatedly refused to support him during a televised Tory leadership debate on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Labour denied claims senior figures in the party interfered with anti-semitism complaints as a BBC Panorama documentary was set to air at 9pm.
A Labour spokesman accused the broadcaster of “pre-determining” the outcome of its investigation – while the broadcaster claimed the party was “criticising a programme they have not seen”.
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Peter Ricketts, a former UK ambassador to France and ex-National Security Adviser, describes the leaked memos as an act of "political sabotage".
Foreign office minister Sir Alan Duncan has absolutely torn into Boris Johnson over the resignation of Sir Kim Darroch.
Asked if Johnson should have defended the ambassador, Sir Alan said: "Yes he should have done so. The current foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt gave him full support, so did the PM, so did the cabinet.
"A former foreign sec who thinks he that is equipped to be PM has basically thrown him under the bus.
"MPs on both sides of the house are absolutely livid and I think the conduct of BJ has discredited him enormously in the eyes of many people in this country."
Simon McDonald, the head of the diplomatic service, has said that Kim Darroch decided to quit partly due to the overwhelming pressures on his family and his mission.
He told the Foreign Affairs Committee: "As long as he remained in Washington he would be a target, and his family with him."
McDonald says this is the first time in 37 years that a friendly government has refused to deal with a British envoy
Our sketchwriter Tom Peck is in the committee room watching Simon McDonald's evidence.
Foreign Office minister Harriett Baldwin tweeted: "Sorry that Kim Darroch has been forced out by the leak of his candid diplomatic telegrams. Ministers rely on impartial advice from professional civil servants.
"Anything that chills the provision of that advice harms us all."
FCO boss Sir Simon McDonald says the diplomatic system is under 'unprecedented pressure', in evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee.
He says he has written to all UK ambassadors to reassure them and asking for unvarnished advice. But he says the service has some 'soul searching' to do on who receives confidential information.
Sir Simon added: "The leaker is guilty of the worst breach of trust in our service in my career. The damage after three days is evident in the resignation of the most senior British diplomat."
Sir Simon McDonald says he is gathering staff to discuss the leaks this afternoon at 4pm.
He will tell them that the debacle is a 'personal tragedy' for Sir Kim Darroch and pledge to 'pursue the culprits with all means at our disposal'.
He will tell them to continue to be frank in their communications but to be mindful of how they circulate information.
McDonald says the most sensitive diplomatic memos are only circulated to between five and 10 people. But every computer has a forward button, he says.
On sanctions, he says the police are involved and if there is a case to answer, it will be referred to the director for public prosecutions.
Downing Street said that Ms May spoke with Sir Kim shortly before PMQs, when the ambassador informed her of his decision to quit. Ms May told him his resignation was a matter of "great regret".
The PM had written to Sir Kim on Tuesday to assure him off her support and those of the Cabinet, said her official spokesman.
The spokesman declined to say whether the PM had tried to persuade Sir Kim to stay, or whether the ambassador had mentioned Mr Johnson's comments in last night's TV debate, saying it was a"private conversation".
He was unable to set out the timetable for the appointment of a successor, or say whether it would be completed by the time Ms May leaves office, saying only the it would come "in due course".
The spokesman said Sir Kim also spoke to the Foreign Office's most senior civil servant, permanent secretary Sir Simon McDonald, this morning, but was unable to say whether this came before his conversation with the PM or whether she was informed in advance of his resignation.
Asked to characterise the state of US-UK relations, the PM's spokesman said: "We have a strong relationship which is based on decades of close cooperation and partnership.
"That remains the case and the PM is confident that will remain the case in the future."
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