Russia today hit out at UK over the spy poisoning row asserting that the British administration did not have any "concrete" evidence.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the charges against Russia that it was behind poisoning of an ex-spy in Salisbury, UK was "politically motivated".

"We have answered all the questions raised by UK," the Russian foreign minister said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed UK government's charges in the poisoning row.

Russia today hit out at UK over the spy poisoning row asserting that the British administration did not have any "concrete" evidence. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the charges against Russia that it was behind poisoning of an ex-spy in Salisbury, UK was "politically motivated". "We have answered all the questions raised by UK," the Russian foreign minister said.

Spy poisoning row: 'Charges politically motivated,' says Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin will try to bolster Russia&#39;s image through hosting the World Cup in a similar way to how Adolf Hitler used the Olympics when it was held in Nazi Germany, Britain&#39;s foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.

Russia is hosting the World Cup in June and July this year, and Johnson agreed with a lawmaker who said Putin would use the tournament to improve Russia&#39;s image, comparing it to when Hitler&#39;s Germany hosted 1936 Olympics.

&quot;Your characterisation of what is going to happen in Moscow in the World Cup, in all the venues - yes, I think the comparison with 1936 is certainly right,&quot; Johnson replied during a question and answer session with lawmakers.

Russia is hosting the World Cup in June and July this year

Russian President Vladimir Putin will try to bolster Russia's image through hosting the World Cup in a similar way to how Adolf Hitler used the Olympics when it was held in Nazi Germany, Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday. Russia is hosting the World Cup in June and July this year, and Johnson agreed with a lawmaker who said Putin would use the tournament to improve Russia's image, comparing it to when Hitler's Germany hosted 1936 Olympics. "Your characterisation of what is going to happen in Moscow in the World Cup, in all the venues - yes, I think the comparison with 1936 is certainly right," Johnson replied during a question and answer session with lawmakers.

Putin will try to bolster Russia's image through World Cup like Hitler: Boris Johnson

Britain&#39;s foreign minister stepped up London&#39;s criticism of Moscow on Monday over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian double agent in England, calling Russian denials of responsibility &quot;increasingly absurd&quot;.

Boris Johnson, who was due to brief fellow European Union ministers in Brussels later on Monday, also won renewed support from the bloc, though diplomats cautioned there was no immediate prospect of fresh economic sanctions on Russia over the attack.

&quot;The Russian denial is increasingly absurd,&quot; Johnson told reporters as he arrived for the regular monthly meeting, which came a day after Vladimir Putin was re-elected for another six-year term as Russia&#39;s president.

&quot;This is a classic Russian strategy ... They&#39;re not fooling anybody anymore,&quot; Johnson said.

&quot;There is scarcely a country around the table here in Brussels that has not been affected in recent years by some kind of malign or disruptive Russian behaviour,&quot; he added.

Russia denies any involvement in the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, in what was the first known offensive use of nerve gas in Europe since World War Two.

Moscow announced on Saturday the expulsion of 23 British diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to Britain&#39;s decision last week to expel the same number of Russian diplomats from London.

On Sunday Johnson accused Russia of stockpiling the deadly Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok used to poison the Skripals, a charge Moscow denies. They were found unconscious on a bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 and remain in a critical condition in hospital.

On arrival at the Brussels meeting on Monday, Germany&#39;s new foreign minister, Heiko Maas, expressed his support for Britain. All 28 EU foreign ministers are expected to issue a joint statement on the attack later on Monday.

While there is no prospect of further sanctions on Russia being agreed on Monday, British Prime Minister Theresa May will have an opportunity to present her case for any such measures at an EU summit on Thursday, or call for others to expel diplomats.

&quot;We need to put pressure on Russia to take part in a real enquiry about the attack,&quot; Belgium&#39;s Foreign Minister Didier Reynders told reporters.

"This is a classic Russian strategy ... They're not fooling anybody anymore," Johnson said

Britain's foreign minister stepped up London's criticism of Moscow on Monday over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian double agent in England, calling Russian denials of responsibility "increasingly absurd". Boris Johnson, who was due to brief fellow European Union ministers in Brussels later on Monday, also won renewed support from the bloc, though diplomats cautioned there was no immediate prospect of fresh economic sanctions on Russia over the attack. "The Russian denial is increasingly absurd," Johnson told reporters as he arrived for the regular monthly meeting, which came a day after Vladimir Putin was re-elected for another six-year term as Russia's president. "This is a classic Russian strategy ... They're not fooling anybody anymore," Johnson said. "There is scarcely a country around the table here in Brussels that has not been affected in recent years by some kind of malign or disruptive Russian behaviour," he added. Russia denies any involvement in the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, in what was the first known offensive use of nerve gas in Europe since World War Two. Moscow announced on Saturday the expulsion of 23 British diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to Britain's decision last week to expel the same number of Russian diplomats from London. On Sunday Johnson accused Russia of stockpiling the deadly Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok used to poison the Skripals, a charge Moscow denies. They were found unconscious on a bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 and remain in a critical condition in hospital. On arrival at the Brussels meeting on Monday, Germany's new foreign minister, Heiko Maas, expressed his support for Britain. All 28 EU foreign ministers are expected to issue a joint statement on the attack later on Monday. While there is no prospect of further sanctions on Russia being agreed on Monday, British Prime Minister Theresa May will have an opportunity to present her case for any such measures at an EU summit on Thursday, or call for others to expel diplomats. "We need to put pressure on Russia to take part in a real enquiry about the attack," Belgium's Foreign Minister Didier Reynders told reporters.

Russian denials of British attack 'increasingly absurd': Johnson

Britain threatened on Tuesday to pull out of the soccer World Cup in Russia if Moscow was shown to be behind the mysterious illness that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ex-russian-spy-sergei-skripal-daughter-ill-after-exposure-to-unidentified-substance-in-britain-34897" target="_blank">struck down</a> a Russian former double agent convicted of betraying dozens of spies to British intelligence.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson named Sergei Skripal, once a colonel in Russia&#39;s GRU military intelligence service, and his daughter, Yulia, as the two people who were found unconscious on Sunday on a bench outside a shopping centre in southern England.

Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter were exposed to what police said was an unknown substance in the English city of Salisbury. Both are still critically ill in intensive care.

&quot;We don&#39;t know exactly what has taken place in Salisbury, but if it&#39;s as bad as it looks, it is another crime in the litany of crimes that we can lay at Russia&#39;s door,&quot; Johnson told the British parliament.

&quot;It is clear that Russia, I&#39;m afraid, is now in many respects a malign and disruptive force, and the UK is in the lead across the world in trying to counteract that activity.&quot;

If Moscow was shown to be behind Skripal&#39;s illness, Johnson said, it would be difficult to see how Britain could attend the World Cup in Russia in June and July.

England is the only British national team to have qualified for the tournament, which is held every four years.

A previous British inquiry said President Vladimir Putin probably approved the 2006 murder of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 in London. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement in Litvinenko&#39;s killing.

Litvinenko, 43, an outspoken critic of Putin who fled Russia for Britain six years before he was poisoned, died after drinking green tea laced with the rare and very potent radioactive isotope at London&rsquo;s Millennium Hotel.

It took some time for British doctors to discern the cause of Litvinenko&#39;s illness.

His murder sent Britain&#39;s relations with Russia to what was then a post-Cold War low. Relations suffered further from Russia&#39;s annexation of Crimea and military backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebels trying to topple him.

&nbsp;

RUSSIAN DOUBLE AGENT

While the British authorities said there was no known risk to the public from the unidentified substance, they sealed off the area where Skripal was found, a pizza restaurant called Zizzi and the Bishop&#39;s Mill pub in the centre of Salisbury.

Some investigators at one point wore yellow chemical suits, though most police at the scene did not.

Skripal, who passed the identity of dozens of spies to the MI6 foreign intelligence agency, was given refuge in Britain after he was exchanged in 2010 for Russian spies caught in the West as part of a Cold War-style spy swap at Vienna airport.

The Kremlin said it was ready to cooperate if Britain asked it for help investigating the incident with Skripal.

Calling it a &quot;tragic situation,&quot; Putin&#39;s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had no information about the incident.

Asked to respond to British media speculation that Russia had poisoned Skripal, Peskov said: &quot;It didn&#39;t take them long.&quot;

Russia&#39;s embassy in London said the incident was being used to demonise Russia and that it was seriously concerned by British media reporting of the Skripal incident.

Russia&rsquo;s foreign spy service, known as the SVR, said it had no comment to make. Russia&rsquo;s foreign ministry, and the Russian counter-intelligence service, the FSB, did not immediately respond to questions submitted by Reuters about the case.

&nbsp;

FROM MOSCOW TO SALISBURY

Skripal was arrested in 2004 by Russia&#39;s Federal Security Service (FSB) on suspicion of betraying dozens of Russian agents to British intelligence. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006 after a secret trial.

Skripal, who was shown wearing a track suit in a cage in court during the sentencing, had admitted betraying agents to MI6 in return for money, some of it paid into a Spanish bank account, Russian media said at the time.

But he was pardoned in 2010 by then-President Dmitry Medvedev as part of a swap to bring 10 Russian agents held in the United States back to Moscow.

The swap, one of the biggest since the Cold War ended in 1991, took place on the tarmac of Vienna airport where a Russian and a U.S. jet parked side by side before the agents were exchanged.

One of the Russian spies exchanged for Skripal was Anna Chapman. She was one of 10 who tried to blend into American society in an apparent bid to get close to power brokers and learn secrets. They were arrested by the FBI in 2010.

The returning spies were greeted as heroes in Moscow. Putin, himself a former KGB officer, sang patriotic songs with them.

Skripal, though, was cast as a traitor by Moscow. He is thought to have done serious damage to Russian spy networks in Britain and Europe.

The GRU spy service, created in 1918 under revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky, is controlled by the military general staff and reports directly to the president. It has spies spread across the world.

Since emerging from the John le Carre world of high espionage and betrayal, Skripal lived modestly in Salisbury and kept out of the spotlight until he was found unconscious on Sunday at 1615 GMT.

Wiltshire police said a small number of emergency services personnel were examined immediately after the incident and all but one had been released from hospital.

Skripal&#39;s wife died shortly after her arrival in Britain from &quot;disseminated endometrial carcinoma,&quot; the Guardian newspaper reported. His son died on a recent visit to Russia.

A white and yellow police forensics tent covered the bench where Skripal was taken ill.

The World Cup this year is being held in Russia

Britain threatened on Tuesday to pull out of the soccer World Cup in Russia if Moscow was shown to be behind the mysterious illness that struck down a Russian former double agent convicted of betraying dozens of spies to British intelligence. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson named Sergei Skripal, once a colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence service, and his daughter, Yulia, as the two people who were found unconscious on Sunday on a bench outside a shopping centre in southern England. Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter were exposed to what police said was an unknown substance in the English city of Salisbury. Both are still critically ill in intensive care. "We don't know exactly what has taken place in Salisbury, but if it's as bad as it looks, it is another crime in the litany of crimes that we can lay at Russia's door," Johnson told the British parliament. "It is clear that Russia, I'm afraid, is now in many respects a malign and disruptive force, and the UK is in the lead across the world in trying to counteract that activity." If Moscow was shown to be behind Skripal's illness, Johnson said, it would be difficult to see how Britain could attend the World Cup in Russia in June and July. England is the only British national team to have qualified for the tournament, which is held every four years. A previous British inquiry said President Vladimir Putin probably approved the 2006 murder of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 in London. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement in Litvinenko's killing. Litvinenko, 43, an outspoken critic of Putin who fled Russia for Britain six years before he was poisoned, died after drinking green tea laced with the rare and very potent radioactive isotope at London’s Millennium Hotel. It took some time for British doctors to discern the cause of Litvinenko's illness. His murder sent Britain's relations with Russia to what was then a post-Cold War low. Relations suffered further from Russia's annexation of Crimea and military backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebels trying to topple him. RUSSIAN DOUBLE AGENT While the British authorities said there was no known risk to the public from the unidentified substance, they sealed off the area where Skripal was found, a pizza restaurant called Zizzi and the Bishop's Mill pub in the centre of Salisbury. Some investigators at one point wore yellow chemical suits, though most police at the scene did not. Skripal, who passed the identity of dozens of spies to the MI6 foreign intelligence agency, was given refuge in Britain after he was exchanged in 2010 for Russian spies caught in the West as part of a Cold War-style spy swap at Vienna airport. The Kremlin said it was ready to cooperate if Britain asked it for help investigating the incident with Skripal. Calling it a "tragic situation," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had no information about the incident. Asked to respond to British media speculation that Russia had poisoned Skripal, Peskov said: "It didn't take them long." Russia's embassy in London said the incident was being used to demonise Russia and that it was seriously concerned by British media reporting of the Skripal incident. Russia’s foreign spy service, known as the SVR, said it had no comment to make. Russia’s foreign ministry, and the Russian counter-intelligence service, the FSB, did not immediately respond to questions submitted by Reuters about the case. FROM MOSCOW TO SALISBURY Skripal was arrested in 2004 by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on suspicion of betraying dozens of Russian agents to British intelligence. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006 after a secret trial. Skripal, who was shown wearing a track suit in a cage in court during the sentencing, had admitted betraying agents to MI6 in return for money, some of it paid into a Spanish bank account, Russian media said at the time. But he was pardoned in 2010 by then-President Dmitry Medvedev as part of a swap to bring 10 Russian agents held in the United States back to Moscow. The swap, one of the biggest since the Cold War ended in 1991, took place on the tarmac of Vienna airport where a Russian and a U.S. jet parked side by side before the agents were exchanged. One of the Russian spies exchanged for Skripal was Anna Chapman. She was one of 10 who tried to blend into American society in an apparent bid to get close to power brokers and learn secrets. They were arrested by the FBI in 2010. The returning spies were greeted as heroes in Moscow. Putin, himself a former KGB officer, sang patriotic songs with them. Skripal, though, was cast as a traitor by Moscow. He is thought to have done serious damage to Russian spy networks in Britain and Europe. The GRU spy service, created in 1918 under revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky, is controlled by the military general staff and reports directly to the president. It has spies spread across the world. Since emerging from the John le Carre world of high espionage and betrayal, Skripal lived modestly in Salisbury and kept out of the spotlight until he was found unconscious on Sunday at 1615 GMT. Wiltshire police said a small number of emergency services personnel were examined immediately after the incident and all but one had been released from hospital. Skripal's wife died shortly after her arrival in Britain from "disseminated endometrial carcinoma," the Guardian newspaper reported. His son died on a recent visit to Russia. A white and yellow police forensics tent covered the bench where Skripal was taken ill.

England threatens to pull out of Football World Cup if Russia behind spy's mysterious illness

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned on Tuesday that Britain would respond &quot;robustly&quot; if it emerged that a state was behind the &quot;disturbing&quot; collapse of a former Russian double agent in England.

Johnson confirmed to MPs that Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on Sunday, adding: &quot;Should evidence emerge that implies state responsibility then Her Majesty&#39;s government will respond appropriately and robustly.&quot;

Johnson confirmed to MPs that Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned on Tuesday that Britain would respond "robustly" if it emerged that a state was behind the "disturbing" collapse of a former Russian double agent in England. Johnson confirmed to MPs that Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on Sunday, adding: "Should evidence emerge that implies state responsibility then Her Majesty's government will respond appropriately and robustly."

UK says would respond 'robustly' if a state behind ex-spy collapse

Action will be taken against 10 members of Myanmar`s security forces in connection with the killing of captured Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, a government spokesman said on Sunday, adding it was not related to a Reuters report on the incident.

Reuters on Friday published a report laying out events that led up to the killing of 10 Rohingya men in the northern Rakhine village of Inn Din who were buried in a mass grave after being hacked to death or shot by Buddhist neighbours and soldiers.

A Myanmar government spokesman, Zaw Htay, said that &quot;action according to the law&quot; would be taken against seven soldiers, three members of the police force and six villagers as part of an army investigation that was initiated before the Reuters report was published.

The arrests were &quot;not because of Reuters news. The investigation was being conducted even before Reuters news,&quot; Zaw Htay said, adding that he was unable to specify what action would be taken against the 16 people.

On January 10, the military said the 10 Rohingya men belonged to a group of 200 &quot;terrorists&quot; who had attacked security forces. Buddhist villagers attacked some of them with swords and soldiers shot the others dead, the military said, adding that it would take action against those involved.

The military`s version of events is contradicted by accounts given to Reuters by Rakhine Buddhist and Rohingya Muslim witnesses.

Buddhist villagers reported no attack by a large number of insurgents on security forces in Inn Din. And Rohingya witnesses told Reuters that soldiers plucked the 10 from among hundreds of men, women, and children who had sought safety on a nearby beach.

Nearly 690,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state and crossed into southern Bangladesh since August when attacks on security posts by insurgents triggered a military crackdown that the United Nations has said may amount to genocide.

Arrested journalists

The Reuters investigation of the Inn Din massacre was what prompted the arrest of two of the news agency`s reporters. Myanmar citizens Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were detained on Dec. 12 for allegedly obtaining confidential documents. The police has said two police officers were also arrested.&nbsp;

Prosecutors are seeking to charge Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo under Myanmar`s Official Secrets Act, which dates back to the time of colonial British rule and carries a maximum 14-year prison sentence.

Asked about the evidence Reuters had uncovered about the massacre, spokesman Zaw Htay said on Thursday, before publication of the Reuters report: &quot;We are not denying the allegations about violations of human rights. And we are not giving blanket denials.&quot;

If there was &quot;strong and reliable primary evidence&quot; of abuses, the government would investigate, he said.

There has been no official comment from the government following the publication of the report.

Britain`s foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said he would raise the case of the two journalists during a meeting with the country`s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Sunday.

He told Reuters in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh on Saturday that the violence in northern Rakhine clearly amounted to ethnic cleansing but observers and monitors should be allowed into the area to establish evidence.

The United States and the United Nations have called the military campaign against the Rohingya &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot;. Myanmar denies ethnic cleansing and says its security forces mounted legitimate counter-insurgency clearance operations.&nbsp;

Action will be taken against 10 members of Myanmar`s security forces in connection with the killing of captured Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state

Action will be taken against 10 members of Myanmar`s security forces in connection with the killing of captured Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, a government spokesman said on Sunday, adding it was not related to a Reuters report on the incident. Reuters on Friday published a report laying out events that led up to the killing of 10 Rohingya men in the northern Rakhine village of Inn Din who were buried in a mass grave after being hacked to death or shot by Buddhist neighbours and soldiers. A Myanmar government spokesman, Zaw Htay, said that "action according to the law" would be taken against seven soldiers, three members of the police force and six villagers as part of an army investigation that was initiated before the Reuters report was published. The arrests were "not because of Reuters news. The investigation was being conducted even before Reuters news," Zaw Htay said, adding that he was unable to specify what action would be taken against the 16 people. On January 10, the military said the 10 Rohingya men belonged to a group of 200 "terrorists" who had attacked security forces. Buddhist villagers attacked some of them with swords and soldiers shot the others dead, the military said, adding that it would take action against those involved. The military`s version of events is contradicted by accounts given to Reuters by Rakhine Buddhist and Rohingya Muslim witnesses. Buddhist villagers reported no attack by a large number of insurgents on security forces in Inn Din. And Rohingya witnesses told Reuters that soldiers plucked the 10 from among hundreds of men, women, and children who had sought safety on a nearby beach. Nearly 690,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state and crossed into southern Bangladesh since August when attacks on security posts by insurgents triggered a military crackdown that the United Nations has said may amount to genocide. Arrested journalists The Reuters investigation of the Inn Din massacre was what prompted the arrest of two of the news agency`s reporters. Myanmar citizens Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were detained on Dec. 12 for allegedly obtaining confidential documents. The police has said two police officers were also arrested. Prosecutors are seeking to charge Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo under Myanmar`s Official Secrets Act, which dates back to the time of colonial British rule and carries a maximum 14-year prison sentence. Asked about the evidence Reuters had uncovered about the massacre, spokesman Zaw Htay said on Thursday, before publication of the Reuters report: "We are not denying the allegations about violations of human rights. And we are not giving blanket denials." If there was "strong and reliable primary evidence" of abuses, the government would investigate, he said. There has been no official comment from the government following the publication of the report. Britain`s foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said he would raise the case of the two journalists during a meeting with the country`s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Sunday. He told Reuters in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh on Saturday that the violence in northern Rakhine clearly amounted to ethnic cleansing but observers and monitors should be allowed into the area to establish evidence. The United States and the United Nations have called the military campaign against the Rohingya "ethnic cleansing". Myanmar denies ethnic cleansing and says its security forces mounted legitimate counter-insurgency clearance operations.

Myanmar says soldiers, police facing action over village killings

British Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s long-awaited government reshuffle Monday was branded ineffectual and shambolic after she promoted few fresh faces to her top team and a minister resigned rather than accept a new post.

Education Secretary Justine Greening became the fourth minister to leave the Cabinet since November, after resisting a request to move to the welfare and pensions ministry.

Meanwhile, health minister Jeremy Hunt convinced May at the last minute to scrap plans to move him to the business department, according to media reports.&nbsp;

Most of her senior ministers also kept their jobs in the reshuffle, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit minister David Davis and finance minister Philip Hammond.

The prime minister carried out what her office called a &quot;refresh&quot; of the government after sacking her deputy Damian Green last month in a row over pornography found on his computer in 2008.

His departure followed those of the defence and aid ministers in unrelated scandals the previous month.

May hoped the shakeup would help her reassert authority ahead of crunch Brexit negotiations this year, and following a torrid 2017 in which she lost her parliamentary majority in a snap election last summer.

An interim deal on Brexit in December appeared to give her new impetus, and the much-anticipated reshuffle was arranged.

But the day began in a farcical fashion when her Conservative party announced a new chairman on Twitter, only to delete the tweet and later name another lawmaker for the post.

&quot;No wonder Theresa May&#39;s struggling to negotiate Brexit -- she can&#39;t even organise a reshuffle,&quot; opposition Labour MP Stephen Kinnock swiftly tweeted.

Following Hunt&#39;s reported refusal to move and Greening&#39;s resignation later Monday, Britain&#39;s newspapers were quick to lambast May&#39;s reboot.

The Times&#39;&nbsp;front page called the reshuffle &quot;shambolic&quot; while The Daily Telegraph declared it the &quot;night of the blunt stiletto&quot;.&nbsp;

Some Conservative lawmakers appeared to agree, with Tory grandee Nicholas Soames tweeting: &quot;I don&#39;t mean to be rude or to be seen to be disloyal but there needs to be a major improvement to the reshuffle tomorrow.&quot;

May is expected to announce a reshuffle of her lower government ranks on Tuesday. Greening&#39;s resignation is likely to be viewed as a challenge to the prime minister&#39;s already fragile authority.

She was offered the welfare ministry &quot;but declined to take it,&quot; a Downing Street source said.

&quot;The prime minister is disappointed but respects her decision to leave the government&quot;, the source added.

For her part, Greening said in a tweet that educational issues like social mobility matter &quot;more than my ministerial career&quot;, and vowed to continue to work for young people as a member of parliament.

May&#39;s room for manoeuvre is limited by heading a minority government and the need to maintain a delicate Cabinet balance of eurosceptic and pro-European ministers as major Brexit decisions loom.

After starting the two-year withdrawal process in March last year, Britain struck a deal in December on the financial settlement with Brussels, as well as on expatriate rights and the Irish border.

Negotiations on a transition deal begin this month, while the toughest talks, on Britain&#39;s future relationship with the EU including trade, are set to start in March.

Johnson, a leading Brexit supporter, kept his job at the foreign office, despite challenging May&#39;s strategy last year, as did fellow eurosceptic Liam Fox, the international trade minister.

Finance minister Hammond and interior minister Amber Rudd, who campaigned to stay in the EU, continue as before.

Former justice secretary David Lidington took over the policy coordination role previously held by Green but did not inherit the title of May&#39;s deputy.

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire, who failed to secure a deal to restore the power-sharing government in Belfast after it collapsed a year ago, stepped down for health reasons Monday and has been replaced by culture minister Karen Bradley.

The former Conservative party chairman, Patrick McLoughlin, lost his job after the disastrous snap election.

It was one of several low points last year for the prime minister, who took office in July 2016 after the referendum on leaving the EU and began her tenure strongly with a bold Cabinet reshuffle.

Education Secretary Justine Greening became the fourth minister to leave the Cabinet since November

British Prime Minister Theresa May's long-awaited government reshuffle Monday was branded ineffectual and shambolic after she promoted few fresh faces to her top team and a minister resigned rather than accept a new post. Education Secretary Justine Greening became the fourth minister to leave the Cabinet since November, after resisting a request to move to the welfare and pensions ministry. Meanwhile, health minister Jeremy Hunt convinced May at the last minute to scrap plans to move him to the business department, according to media reports. Most of her senior ministers also kept their jobs in the reshuffle, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit minister David Davis and finance minister Philip Hammond. The prime minister carried out what her office called a "refresh" of the government after sacking her deputy Damian Green last month in a row over pornography found on his computer in 2008. His departure followed those of the defence and aid ministers in unrelated scandals the previous month. May hoped the shakeup would help her reassert authority ahead of crunch Brexit negotiations this year, and following a torrid 2017 in which she lost her parliamentary majority in a snap election last summer. An interim deal on Brexit in December appeared to give her new impetus, and the much-anticipated reshuffle was arranged. But the day began in a farcical fashion when her Conservative party announced a new chairman on Twitter, only to delete the tweet and later name another lawmaker for the post. "No wonder Theresa May's struggling to negotiate Brexit -- she can't even organise a reshuffle," opposition Labour MP Stephen Kinnock swiftly tweeted. Following Hunt's reported refusal to move and Greening's resignation later Monday, Britain's newspapers were quick to lambast May's reboot. The Times' front page called the reshuffle "shambolic" while The Daily Telegraph declared it the "night of the blunt stiletto". Some Conservative lawmakers appeared to agree, with Tory grandee Nicholas Soames tweeting: "I don't mean to be rude or to be seen to be disloyal but there needs to be a major improvement to the reshuffle tomorrow." May is expected to announce a reshuffle of her lower government ranks on Tuesday. Greening's resignation is likely to be viewed as a challenge to the prime minister's already fragile authority. She was offered the welfare ministry "but declined to take it," a Downing Street source said. "The prime minister is disappointed but respects her decision to leave the government", the source added. For her part, Greening said in a tweet that educational issues like social mobility matter "more than my ministerial career", and vowed to continue to work for young people as a member of parliament. May's room for manoeuvre is limited by heading a minority government and the need to maintain a delicate Cabinet balance of eurosceptic and pro-European ministers as major Brexit decisions loom. After starting the two-year withdrawal process in March last year, Britain struck a deal in December on the financial settlement with Brussels, as well as on expatriate rights and the Irish border. Negotiations on a transition deal begin this month, while the toughest talks, on Britain's future relationship with the EU including trade, are set to start in March. Johnson, a leading Brexit supporter, kept his job at the foreign office, despite challenging May's strategy last year, as did fellow eurosceptic Liam Fox, the international trade minister. Finance minister Hammond and interior minister Amber Rudd, who campaigned to stay in the EU, continue as before. Former justice secretary David Lidington took over the policy coordination role previously held by Green but did not inherit the title of May's deputy. Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire, who failed to secure a deal to restore the power-sharing government in Belfast after it collapsed a year ago, stepped down for health reasons Monday and has been replaced by culture minister Karen Bradley. The former Conservative party chairman, Patrick McLoughlin, lost his job after the disastrous snap election. It was one of several low points last year for the prime minister, who took office in July 2016 after the referendum on leaving the EU and began her tenure strongly with a bold Cabinet reshuffle.

British PM's cabinet reshuffle marred by resignation

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson propensity for political gaffes came to the fore again for talking about favourable alcohol trade deals in a Sikh temple on Wednesday.

Sikhism eschews consumption of liquor, but a seemingly unaware Johnson made a pitch for ending trade tariffs on whisky to boost exports.&nbsp;

His campaign speech on behalf of British Prime Minister Theresa May was immediately shot down by an irate Sikh woman, who chastised him for being ignorant about the religion&#39;s values, according to a BBC reporter.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
She&#39;s absolutely livid. Boris Johnson apologises. &quot;How dare you talk about alcohol in a Sikh temple.&quot;
&mdash; Pete Simson (@SimsonPete) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimsonPete/status/864787658198876160">May 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The former London mayor&#39;s slander didn&#39;t end there as he responded to the woman by claiming to know several Sikhs who consumed alcohol.

While several Sikhs do drink, their religion has always advised shunning of alcohol. Publicly mentioning that some Sikhs do enjoy liquor also angered some religious groups in the United Kingdom.

&#39;Clinkie&#39; clanger

Batting for the Tories, Johnson -- viewed as a maverick and a weak link by some in his own party -- dropped the political clanger during his speech at the Bristol-based Nirman Sewak Jatha to woo the large Sikh community: &quot;What are the consequences of having so many Sikh relatives, and I hope I am not embarrassing anybody, is that whenever we go to India, to Mumbai or to Delhi, we have to bring &#39;clinkie&#39; in our luggage.&nbsp;

&quot;But imagine what we could do if there was a free trade deal with India - which there will be. You are talking hundreds of millions of pounds of new exports and more exports is great for a fantastic export city like Bristol.&quot;

To this, a woman named Balbir Kaur immediately chided the senior politician standing in front of the altar at the gurudwara (a Sikh temple).

&quot;You have just said that the main objective is to get the trade between India and England and the basis of that is alcohol which is in Sikhism against our religion so I wouldn&#39;t be wanting to put somebody in power who wants to put more alcohol in India which is causing lots of problems at the moment.

&quot;I am a practising Sikh and to me that is absolutely outrageous.&quot;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="573" id="molvideoplayer" scrolling="yes" src="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1466157.html" title="MailOnline Embed Player" width="698"></iframe>

Her anger did not end there.

A BBC recording revealed that when Johnson was asked to talk about inheritance tax, the woman piped in again.

&quot;Inheritance tax is not an issue - alcohol is.

&quot;I&#39;m sorry if I am shouting but it is very important to me.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s not my family circumstances, it&#39;s the whole of Sikhism and you are standing in a Sikh Gurdwara and talking about alcohol - it&#39;s not right.&quot;

Another blunder

Jonson&#39;s blunders kept flowing, this time his team being the guilty party.

Johnson, during the sppech at the gurudwara, did apologise for dredging up the tabooed topic for Sikh followers.

But the apology got lost in the subsequent debris of clarification provided by Johnson&#39;s team.

Daily Mail quoted Johnson&#39;s spokesperson as saying: &quot;He was simply making the point that a free trade deal with, for example, India could be huge for both sides.

&quot;He pointed out that in India billions of litres of whisky are consumed every year but there is tariffs at 120 per cent on imports of Scotch whisky and wouldn&#39;t it be great if we could have free trade.

&quot;One lady expressed her views based on a personal situation but the other 30 attendees warmly welcomed his remarks.&quot;

Sikh outrage

Johnson came under attack by various Sikh groups as well.

Sikh Federation (UK) general secretary&nbsp;Bhai Narinderjit Singh slammed the 52-year-old politician: &quot;No politician in his right mind would speak in a Gurdwara about a trade deal involving alcohol.

&quot;It is a requirement that Sikhs should not consume any intoxicants.&quot;

Sikhism frowns upon consumtpion of alcohol. Sikh gurus (leaders) have always advised their followers -- both baptised and non-baptised -- to abstain from liquor.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/SimsonPete">@SimsonPete</a> Hi Pete. You may wish to share this short video to educate those who think alcohol is not against the Sikh faith<a href="https://t.co/jb2a8jq7GB">https://t.co/jb2a8jq7GB</a>
&mdash; SikhPressAssociation (@SikhPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SikhPA/status/864860866746953730">May 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Orange is the new white <a href="https://t.co/lSgFDijsOw">pic.twitter.com/lSgFDijsOw</a>
&mdash; Pete Simson (@SimsonPete) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimsonPete/status/864783446182420480">May 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(WION)

&nbsp;

 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Johnson spoke of ending trade tariff with India to boost whisky exports, a statement that riled a Sikh follower who said it was improper to talk about alcohol in their temple

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson propensity for political gaffes came to the fore again for talking about favourable alcohol trade deals in a Sikh temple on Wednesday. Sikhism eschews consumption of liquor, but a seemingly unaware Johnson made a pitch for ending trade tariffs on whisky to boost exports. His campaign speech on behalf of British Prime Minister Theresa May was immediately shot down by an irate Sikh woman, who chastised him for being ignorant about the religion's values, according to a BBC reporter. She's absolutely livid. Boris Johnson apologises. "How dare you talk about alcohol in a Sikh temple." — Pete Simson (@SimsonPete) May 17, 2017 × The former London mayor's slander didn't end there as he responded to the woman by claiming to know several Sikhs who consumed alcohol. While several Sikhs do drink, their religion has always advised shunning of alcohol. Publicly mentioning that some Sikhs do enjoy liquor also angered some religious groups in the United Kingdom. 'Clinkie' clanger Batting for the Tories, Johnson -- viewed as a maverick and a weak link by some in his own party -- dropped the political clanger during his speech at the Bristol-based Nirman Sewak Jatha to woo the large Sikh community: "What are the consequences of having so many Sikh relatives, and I hope I am not embarrassing anybody, is that whenever we go to India, to Mumbai or to Delhi, we have to bring 'clinkie' in our luggage. "But imagine what we could do if there was a free trade deal with India - which there will be. You are talking hundreds of millions of pounds of new exports and more exports is great for a fantastic export city like Bristol." To this, a woman named Balbir Kaur immediately chided the senior politician standing in front of the altar at the gurudwara (a Sikh temple). "You have just said that the main objective is to get the trade between India and England and the basis of that is alcohol which is in Sikhism against our religion so I wouldn't be wanting to put somebody in power who wants to put more alcohol in India which is causing lots of problems at the moment. "I am a practising Sikh and to me that is absolutely outrageous." Her anger did not end there. A BBC recording revealed that when Johnson was asked to talk about inheritance tax, the woman piped in again. "Inheritance tax is not an issue - alcohol is. "I'm sorry if I am shouting but it is very important to me. "It's not my family circumstances, it's the whole of Sikhism and you are standing in a Sikh Gurdwara and talking about alcohol - it's not right." Another blunder Jonson's blunders kept flowing, this time his team being the guilty party. Johnson, during the sppech at the gurudwara, did apologise for dredging up the tabooed topic for Sikh followers. But the apology got lost in the subsequent debris of clarification provided by Johnson's team. Daily Mail quoted Johnson's spokesperson as saying: "He was simply making the point that a free trade deal with, for example, India could be huge for both sides. "He pointed out that in India billions of litres of whisky are consumed every year but there is tariffs at 120 per cent on imports of Scotch whisky and wouldn't it be great if we could have free trade. "One lady expressed her views based on a personal situation but the other 30 attendees warmly welcomed his remarks." Sikh outrage Johnson came under attack by various Sikh groups as well. Sikh Federation (UK) general secretary Bhai Narinderjit Singh slammed the 52-year-old politician: "No politician in his right mind would speak in a Gurdwara about a trade deal involving alcohol. "It is a requirement that Sikhs should not consume any intoxicants." Sikhism frowns upon consumtpion of alcohol. Sikh gurus (leaders) have always advised their followers -- both baptised and non-baptised -- to abstain from liquor. @SimsonPete Hi Pete. You may wish to share this short video to educate those who think alcohol is not against the Sikh faithhttps://t.co/jb2a8jq7GB — SikhPressAssociation (@SikhPA) May 17, 2017 × Orange is the new white pic.twitter.com/lSgFDijsOw — Pete Simson (@SimsonPete) May 17, 2017 × (WION)

Boris Johnson's mention of alcohol in Sikh temple raises hackles

UK lawmakers are calling on the government to strip Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s wife of her British citizenship, for supporting her husband&#39;s regime during the country&#39;s ongoing war.

The Liberal Democrats&#39; foreign affairs spokesman, MP Tom Brake, today accused Assad of using her international profile to defend &quot;a barbarous regime&quot;.

&quot;(Foreign Secretary) Boris Johnson has urged other countries to do more about Syria, but the British government could say to Asma Al-Assad -- either stop using your position to defend barbaric acts, or be stripped of your citizenship,&quot; Brake said.

His remarks follow Johnson branding the Syrian president an &quot;arch-terrorist&quot;, in a Sunday Telegraph newspaper article calling on Syria ally Russia to end its support for Bashar al-Assad.

Brake&#39;s comments echoed those of MP Nadhim Zahawi, from the ruling Conservative Party.

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<h5>Brake&#39;s comments echoed those of MP Nadhim Zahawi, from the ruling Conservative Party. &#39;The time has come where we go after (Bashar) Assad in every which way, including people like Mrs Assad, who is very much part of the propaganda machine that is committing war crimes,&#39; he was quoted in the Sunday Times newspaper as saying</h5>
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&quot;The time has come where we go after (Bashar) Assad in every which way, including people like Mrs Assad, who is very much part of the propaganda machine that is committing war crimes,&quot; he was quoted in the Sunday Times newspaper as saying.

Once hailed as a progressive rights advocate, Assad has fallen from international grace during Syria&#39;s ongoing war which has killed more than 320,000 people since erupting in 2011.

The 41-year-old, who is believed to hold joint British-Syrian nationality, has stood by her husband&#39;s side in his rare public appearances, posing for selfies with supporters in photos posted to the presidency&#39;s Instagram account.

The couple&#39;s marriage was announced six months after he assumed the country&#39;s leadership in July 2000. They had met at a party hosted by the British Syrian community in London.

Assad&#39;s ongoing support for her husband allows Britain to deprive her of her UK citizenship, according to the Liberal Democrats, which served in an uneasy five-year coalition government with the Conservative Party until 2015.

&quot;If Asma continues defending the Assad regime&#39;s murderous actions, the onus will be on the UK Government to deprive her of her citizenship or demonstrate that her actions are not seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom,&quot; said Brake.

He is due to write to Home Secretary Amber Rudd outlining the view of the Liberal Democrats, which holds nine seats in British parliament.

The home office would not comment on whether the government would take action against Assad, who previously worked as an analyst for Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan.

&quot;The Government takes its duty to protect the British public exceptionally seriously.

&quot;We cannot discuss individual cases but the Home Secretary can deprive individuals of their citizenship where it is conducive to the public good to do so,&quot; a spokesman told AFP.

(AFP)

The Liberal Democrats MP Tom Brake accused Assad of using her international profile to defend 'a barbarous regime'

UK lawmakers are calling on the government to strip Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's wife of her British citizenship, for supporting her husband's regime during the country's ongoing war. The Liberal Democrats' foreign affairs spokesman, MP Tom Brake, today accused Assad of using her international profile to defend "a barbarous regime". "(Foreign Secretary) Boris Johnson has urged other countries to do more about Syria, but the British government could say to Asma Al-Assad -- either stop using your position to defend barbaric acts, or be stripped of your citizenship," Brake said. His remarks follow Johnson branding the Syrian president an "arch-terrorist", in a Sunday Telegraph newspaper article calling on Syria ally Russia to end its support for Bashar al-Assad. Brake's comments echoed those of MP Nadhim Zahawi, from the ruling Conservative Party. Brake's comments echoed those of MP Nadhim Zahawi, from the ruling Conservative Party. 'The time has come where we go after (Bashar) Assad in every which way, including people like Mrs Assad, who is very much part of the propaganda machine that is committing war crimes,' he was quoted in the Sunday Times newspaper as saying × "The time has come where we go after (Bashar) Assad in every which way, including people like Mrs Assad, who is very much part of the propaganda machine that is committing war crimes," he was quoted in the Sunday Times newspaper as saying. Once hailed as a progressive rights advocate, Assad has fallen from international grace during Syria's ongoing war which has killed more than 320,000 people since erupting in 2011. The 41-year-old, who is believed to hold joint British-Syrian nationality, has stood by her husband's side in his rare public appearances, posing for selfies with supporters in photos posted to the presidency's Instagram account. The couple's marriage was announced six months after he assumed the country's leadership in July 2000. They had met at a party hosted by the British Syrian community in London. Assad's ongoing support for her husband allows Britain to deprive her of her UK citizenship, according to the Liberal Democrats, which served in an uneasy five-year coalition government with the Conservative Party until 2015. "If Asma continues defending the Assad regime's murderous actions, the onus will be on the UK Government to deprive her of her citizenship or demonstrate that her actions are not seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom," said Brake. He is due to write to Home Secretary Amber Rudd outlining the view of the Liberal Democrats, which holds nine seats in British parliament. The home office would not comment on whether the government would take action against Assad, who previously worked as an analyst for Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan. "The Government takes its duty to protect the British public exceptionally seriously. "We cannot discuss individual cases but the Home Secretary can deprive individuals of their citizenship where it is conducive to the public good to do so," a spokesman told AFP. (AFP)

UK lawmakers call on govt to strip Assad's wife of British citizenship

Britain&#39;s foreign minister Boris Johnson warned French President Francois Hollande against World War II-style &quot;punishment beatings&quot; for Brexit.

Hollande has said it would not accept improved conditions for the UK when it leaves the single market.

Johnson said that penalising Britain for leaving the EU would benefit no one and compared the approach to punishment given to escaped prisoners in war movies.

&quot;I think that if Monsieur Hollande wants to administer punishment beatings to anybody who chooses to escape, rather in manner of some sort of World War II movie, than I don&rsquo;t think that is the way forward,&quot; the former journalist told delegates at a political conference in New Delhi, reported AFP.

&quot;I think it&#39;s actually not in the interest of our friends and our partners.&quot;

Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday said Britain will leave the EU&#39;s single market after leaving the European Union in order to restrict immigration in a clean break from the politico-economic union.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the minister&#39;s comments &quot;wild and inappropriate&quot;.

May&#39;s spokeswoman defended Johnson&#39;s statement saying it was a &quot;theatrical comparison&quot;.

&quot;He was making a point. He was in no way suggesting that anyone was a Nazi,&quot; she said.

Johnson&#39;s brother told BBC radio that Boris used &quot;colourful language&quot; to make a powerful point.

&quot;He was making a powerful point that we want a rational deal. He was using colourful language to get across an important point,&quot; Jo Johnson said.

May said Britain wanted a news customs deal with the EU that would focus on giving Britain &quot;the greatest possible access&quot; to the market on its departure.

On Wednesday, Johnson said Britain&#39;s decision to exit the single market did not mean it wanted to stop having access to EU countries, reported AFP.

&quot;We should be working together. It seems absolutely incredible to me that in the 21st century, the European Union... should be seriously contemplating the introduction of tariffs or whatever to administer punishment to (the) UK,&quot; he said.

&quot;And don&rsquo;t forget, these things cut both ways. After all, the Germans, as is well known, export one-fifth of their motor manufacturing output.&quot;

(With inputs from AFP)

Boris Johnson asserted that Britain should not be penalised for exiting the European Union

Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson warned French President Francois Hollande against World War II-style "punishment beatings" for Brexit. Hollande has said it would not accept improved conditions for the UK when it leaves the single market. Johnson said that penalising Britain for leaving the EU would benefit no one and compared the approach to punishment given to escaped prisoners in war movies. "I think that if Monsieur Hollande wants to administer punishment beatings to anybody who chooses to escape, rather in manner of some sort of World War II movie, than I don’t think that is the way forward," the former journalist told delegates at a political conference in New Delhi, reported AFP. "I think it's actually not in the interest of our friends and our partners." Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday said Britain will leave the EU's single market after leaving the European Union in order to restrict immigration in a clean break from the politico-economic union. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the minister's comments "wild and inappropriate". May's spokeswoman defended Johnson's statement saying it was a "theatrical comparison". "He was making a point. He was in no way suggesting that anyone was a Nazi," she said. Johnson's brother told BBC radio that Boris used "colourful language" to make a powerful point. "He was making a powerful point that we want a rational deal. He was using colourful language to get across an important point," Jo Johnson said. May said Britain wanted a news customs deal with the EU that would focus on giving Britain "the greatest possible access" to the market on its departure. On Wednesday, Johnson said Britain's decision to exit the single market did not mean it wanted to stop having access to EU countries, reported AFP. "We should be working together. It seems absolutely incredible to me that in the 21st century, the European Union... should be seriously contemplating the introduction of tariffs or whatever to administer punishment to (the) UK," he said. "And don’t forget, these things cut both ways. After all, the Germans, as is well known, export one-fifth of their motor manufacturing output." (With inputs from AFP)

UK foreign minister Johnson warns against Brexit 'punishment beatings'

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson dismissed suggestions on Saturday that Britain&#39;s exit from the European Union and the election of Donald Trump as US&nbsp;president would lead to Western powers withdrawing from engagement with the rest of the world.

Speaking during an overnight visit to Kabul that included meetings with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Johnson said Britain remained committed to Afghanistan &quot;for the long haul&quot;.

As well as continued support for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission to train Afghan security forces, it was doing &quot;a hell of a lot&quot; for aid and development in Afghanistan, in areas like education, he said.

&quot;None of those will be affected by our relations with the treaties of the European Union, as you would expect,&quot; he said.

Britain&#39;s June 23 vote for &#39;Brexit&#39; and Trump&#39;s backing for an &quot;America First&quot; foreign policy have triggered alarm among some commentators who see signs of increasing isolationism among Western powers. However Johnson, one of the leaders of the pro-Brexit camp, rejected such fears.

&quot;If the question is do I think that the western world is going to start withdrawing or turning in on itself, then the answer is emphatically no, I don&#39;t think so,&quot; Johnson told reporters. &quot;That certainly won&#39;t be the situation with the United Kingdom.&quot;

&quot;We intend to be more engaged with the world, more outward-looking than ever before,&quot; he said.

&quot;I think we&#39;ll have to see how things pan out in Washington but I think that the interest of the United States in the security and stability of this part of the world will remain fundamental.&quot;

Johnson visited Kabul University, where he attended a performance of a scene from Shakespeare&#39;s tragedy Macbeth in Dari, as well as the British cemetery, with its memorial to more than 450 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

He said Britain could be proud of the sacrifices and achievements of its troops, despite the deteriorating situation in areas like Helmand, now in large part under Taliban control, where more British soldiers died than in any other province.

&quot;No one is sitting here and pretending that things are perfect but they are better by far than they were,&quot; he said.

&quot;There are many ways that in spite of all the difficulties and all the challenges, this place is better for the help that we have tried to give it over the years,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

Johnson said Britain's exit from the European Union will have no impact on its commitment with Afghanistan

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson dismissed suggestions on Saturday that Britain's exit from the European Union and the election of Donald Trump as US president would lead to Western powers withdrawing from engagement with the rest of the world. Speaking during an overnight visit to Kabul that included meetings with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Johnson said Britain remained committed to Afghanistan "for the long haul". As well as continued support for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission to train Afghan security forces, it was doing "a hell of a lot" for aid and development in Afghanistan, in areas like education, he said. "None of those will be affected by our relations with the treaties of the European Union, as you would expect," he said. Britain's June 23 vote for 'Brexit' and Trump's backing for an "America First" foreign policy have triggered alarm among some commentators who see signs of increasing isolationism among Western powers. However Johnson, one of the leaders of the pro-Brexit camp, rejected such fears. "If the question is do I think that the western world is going to start withdrawing or turning in on itself, then the answer is emphatically no, I don't think so," Johnson told reporters. "That certainly won't be the situation with the United Kingdom." "We intend to be more engaged with the world, more outward-looking than ever before," he said. "I think we'll have to see how things pan out in Washington but I think that the interest of the United States in the security and stability of this part of the world will remain fundamental." Johnson visited Kabul University, where he attended a performance of a scene from Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth in Dari, as well as the British cemetery, with its memorial to more than 450 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan. He said Britain could be proud of the sacrifices and achievements of its troops, despite the deteriorating situation in areas like Helmand, now in large part under Taliban control, where more British soldiers died than in any other province. "No one is sitting here and pretending that things are perfect but they are better by far than they were," he said. "There are many ways that in spite of all the difficulties and all the challenges, this place is better for the help that we have tried to give it over the years," he said. (Reuters)

In Afghanistan, Britain's Johnson sees no sign of global retreat

Britain&#39;s foreign secretary Boris Johnson on Thursday expressed UK&#39;s disappointment after Maldives announced its decision to leave the Commonwealth.

Johnson, however, said the&nbsp;UK will continue to work with the troubled island nation in the Indian Ocean.

&quot;We believe in the Commonwealth and its commitment to improve the lives of people across all its member states. The Commonwealth is an organisation dedicated to developing free and democratic societies, and to promote peace and prosperity. And we regret that the Maldives has chosen to leave,&quot; Johnson said in a statement.&nbsp;

&quot;We will continue to work with the Maldives government to help strengthen democracy, particularly freedom of speech and the media and independence of the judiciary. The stability of the country must be central to what happens next,&quot; he said.

Maldives on Thursday decided to leave the Commonwealth, an intergovernmental organisation that now constitutes of 52 member states, mostly former British colonies.&nbsp;

The Maldives government accused the Commonwealth of trying to interfere in its domestic issues ever since former president Mohamed Nasheed resigned in February 2012. Male also alleged that Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) and the Commonwealth Secretariat have treated the Maldives &quot;unfairly&quot;.

Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) for the third time since 2012 had placed Maldives on CMAG&#39;s formal agenda, a step towards suspension or expulsion from the multilateral body. This comes at the CMAG&#39;s last meeting held in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Boris Johnson expressed UK's disappointment as Male announced its decision to leave Commonwealth

Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson on Thursday expressed UK's disappointment after Maldives announced its decision to leave the Commonwealth. Johnson, however, said the UK will continue to work with the troubled island nation in the Indian Ocean. "We believe in the Commonwealth and its commitment to improve the lives of people across all its member states. The Commonwealth is an organisation dedicated to developing free and democratic societies, and to promote peace and prosperity. And we regret that the Maldives has chosen to leave," Johnson said in a statement. "We will continue to work with the Maldives government to help strengthen democracy, particularly freedom of speech and the media and independence of the judiciary. The stability of the country must be central to what happens next," he said. Maldives on Thursday decided to leave the Commonwealth, an intergovernmental organisation that now constitutes of 52 member states, mostly former British colonies. The Maldives government accused the Commonwealth of trying to interfere in its domestic issues ever since former president Mohamed Nasheed resigned in February 2012. Male also alleged that Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) and the Commonwealth Secretariat have treated the Maldives "unfairly". Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) for the third time since 2012 had placed Maldives on CMAG's formal agenda, a step towards suspension or expulsion from the multilateral body. This comes at the CMAG's last meeting held in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. (WION)

Maldives quits Commonwealth: UK will continue to work with Male, says Boris Johnson?

Britain has a lot of work to do before it can exit the European Union (EU) but once it triggers a formal divorce from the EU, the process cannot be dragged on, Britain&#39;s foreign minister Boris Johnson said&nbsp;on Sunday. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve got to do a lot of work to get our ducks in order,&quot; Johnson told Andy Marr on BBC1&#39;s The Andrew Marr Show. 
 
Johnson suggested last week that Britain would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which would allow Britain to exit from EU early next year. However, Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s aides have continually said the formal procedure would only start next year. 
 
But some lawmakers and government officials say the government&nbsp;has&nbsp;not had time to form a clear negotiating stance and that, by triggering proceedings too early,&nbsp;Britain&nbsp;may land a poor deal,&nbsp;Reuters said. 
 
Britons voted to leave the EU bloc in a historic referendum in June. 
 
Jeremy Corbyn, who was re-elected as leader of Britain&#39;s main opposition Labour Party&nbsp;on Saturday, said the parliament should be involved in the Brexit process. 
 
&quot;This is a huge political issue, it&#39;s the most significant economic issue facing Britain in my or your lifetime and I think at the very least parliament should be fully informed,&quot; Jeremy Corbyn told BBC&#39;s Andrew Marr. 
 
Stephen Booth, co-director of the Open Europe think-tank, said it was likely that Brexit would end up being a gradual withdrawal from different aspects of the UK&#39;s entanglements with the EU, rather than a single &quot;big bang&quot; event, RT? news reported. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

London is under pressure from EU members and millions of Britons who voted for Brexit in the referendum to start the divorce process soon

Britain has a lot of work to do before it can exit the European Union (EU) but once it triggers a formal divorce from the EU, the process cannot be dragged on, Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday. "We've got to do a lot of work to get our ducks in order," Johnson told Andy Marr on BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show. Johnson suggested last week that Britain would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which would allow Britain to exit from EU early next year. However, Prime Minister Theresa May's aides have continually said the formal procedure would only start next year. But some lawmakers and government officials say the government has not had time to form a clear negotiating stance and that, by triggering proceedings too early, Britain may land a poor deal, Reuters said. Britons voted to leave the EU bloc in a historic referendum in June. Jeremy Corbyn, who was re-elected as leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party on Saturday, said the parliament should be involved in the Brexit process. "This is a huge political issue, it's the most significant economic issue facing Britain in my or your lifetime and I think at the very least parliament should be fully informed," Jeremy Corbyn told BBC's Andrew Marr. Stephen Booth, co-director of the Open Europe think-tank, said it was likely that Brexit would end up being a gradual withdrawal from different aspects of the UK's entanglements with the EU, rather than a single "big bang" event, RT? news reported. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Britain has lot to do before triggering EU divorce: Boris Johnson

Britain&#39;s foreign secretary Boris Johnson announced on Thursday that Britain has plans to trigger Article 50, the formal process for leaving the European Union (EU), early next year.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are talking to our European friends and partners in the expectation that by the early part of next year, you will see an Article 50 letter. We will invoke that,&quot; he told Britain&#39;s Sky News television in New York. 
 
Theresa May&#39;s Downing Street office, however, denied Johnson&#39;s comments. 
 
&quot;The government&#39;s position has not changed. We will not trigger Article 50 before the end of 2016 and we are using this time to prepare for the negotiations,&quot; a spokesman told AFP.&nbsp; 
 
Europe minister Alan Duncan said he did not believe Johnson really wanted Britain to leave the EU at all, AFP reported. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve always thought that Boris&#39; wish was to lose by one (vote) so that he could be the heir apparent,&quot; without having to deal with &quot;clearing up all the mess&quot;, Duncan told the BBC. 
 
Johnson has also reportedly denied suggestions that Britain would have to continue allowing free movement of people with EU if it wanted access to the European single market.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They would have us believe that there is some automatic trade-off between what they call access to the single market and free movement. Complete baloney. Absolute baloney,&quot; &nbsp;AFP quoted him as saying.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The two things have nothing to do with each other. We should go for a jumbo free-trade deal and take back control of our immigration policy.&quot; 
 
Johnson said that even after Brexit the country would continue to play a role in pan-European defence and security measures.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We will continue to be a participant in common European defence discussions, security, foreign policy, counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and all that kind of thing,&quot; he said. 
 
On Thursday, May met &nbsp;was meeting with Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, who has urged her to trigger Article 50 as soon as possible. 
 
&quot;The European Parliament favours the earliest possible triggering of Article 50,&quot; he said, AFP reported. 
 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Europe minister Alan Duncan said he did not believe that Johnson really wanted Britain to leave the EU at all

Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson announced on Thursday that Britain has plans to trigger Article 50, the formal process for leaving the European Union (EU), early next year. "We are talking to our European friends and partners in the expectation that by the early part of next year, you will see an Article 50 letter. We will invoke that," he told Britain's Sky News television in New York. Theresa May's Downing Street office, however, denied Johnson's comments. "The government's position has not changed. We will not trigger Article 50 before the end of 2016 and we are using this time to prepare for the negotiations," a spokesman told AFP. Europe minister Alan Duncan said he did not believe Johnson really wanted Britain to leave the EU at all, AFP reported. "I've always thought that Boris' wish was to lose by one (vote) so that he could be the heir apparent," without having to deal with "clearing up all the mess", Duncan told the BBC. Johnson has also reportedly denied suggestions that Britain would have to continue allowing free movement of people with EU if it wanted access to the European single market. "They would have us believe that there is some automatic trade-off between what they call access to the single market and free movement. Complete baloney. Absolute baloney," AFP quoted him as saying. "The two things have nothing to do with each other. We should go for a jumbo free-trade deal and take back control of our immigration policy." Johnson said that even after Brexit the country would continue to play a role in pan-European defence and security measures. "We will continue to be a participant in common European defence discussions, security, foreign policy, counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and all that kind of thing," he said. On Thursday, May met was meeting with Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, who has urged her to trigger Article 50 as soon as possible. "The European Parliament favours the earliest possible triggering of Article 50," he said, AFP reported. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Boris Johnson claims UK will trigger EU exit process early next year, Downing Street denies

Britain&#39;s new foreign minister Boris Johnson has given up his lucrative newspaper column, which he had used for years to mock world leaders, his spokesman said today. 
 
The leading Brexit campaigner was paid &pound;250,000 ($330,000, 300,000 euros) a year for his weekly article in The Daily Telegraph broadsheet which he continued writing during his eight-year tenure as mayor of London. 
 
He used the column to showcase his sharp wit, but some of his barbs, including comparing White House hopeful Hillary Clinton to a &quot;sadistic nurse&quot;, came back to haunt him when he was named foreign secretary last week. 
 
Prime Minister Theresa May, who took office following the June-23 referendum vote for Britain to leave the European Union, stunned observers by naming gaffe-prone Johnson as her top diplomat. 
 
His new job comes with a salary of &pound;135,527 a year, which includes &pound;74,962 for being a Member of Parliament. 
 
&quot;Whilst Mr Johnson has enjoyed a close working relationship with The Daily Telegraph for over 20 years, it would not be appropriate for him to continue writing his long-standing column for the newspaper given his new role as foreign secretary,&quot; his spokesman said. 
 
When asked if May had told Johnson to give up the column, the Prime Minister&#39;s spokeswoman said only that it was his decision. 
 
&quot;Boris has been an outstanding columnist for The Daily Telegraph for many years, with a legion of devoted readers,&quot; said Telegraph Media Group editor Chris Evans, adding that he wished him well in his new job. 
 
Johnson, who stepped down as London mayor in May, was in Brussels today for his first talks with EU counterparts. 
 
The fifty-two-year-old was also working on a book on Shakespeare that was due to be published in October, but has now been postponed &quot;for the forseeable future&quot;, publishers Hodder and Stoughton said. 
 
Johnson has received an advance payment of about &pound;90,000 for the book, but it is thought unlikely that he will have to repay it as the commission has not been withdrawn. 
 
&quot;Hodder and Stoughton confirm that they are postponing publication of Boris Johnson&#39;s &#39;Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius&#39;,&quot; the publishers said in a statement. 
 
Documents released earlier this year showed Johnson earned &pound;987,097 from his Telegraph column over the past four years, while book royalties brought in a further &pound;469,385. 
 
In 2009, Johnson described his Telegraph earnings as &quot;chicken feed&quot;. 
 
 
(AFP)

Johnson had compared White House hopeful Hillary Clinton to a "sadistic nurse" in his column meant to showcase his 'sharp' wit

Britain's new foreign minister Boris Johnson has given up his lucrative newspaper column, which he had used for years to mock world leaders, his spokesman said today. The leading Brexit campaigner was paid £250,000 ($330,000, 300,000 euros) a year for his weekly article in The Daily Telegraph broadsheet which he continued writing during his eight-year tenure as mayor of London. He used the column to showcase his sharp wit, but some of his barbs, including comparing White House hopeful Hillary Clinton to a "sadistic nurse", came back to haunt him when he was named foreign secretary last week. Prime Minister Theresa May, who took office following the June-23 referendum vote for Britain to leave the European Union, stunned observers by naming gaffe-prone Johnson as her top diplomat. His new job comes with a salary of £135,527 a year, which includes £74,962 for being a Member of Parliament. "Whilst Mr Johnson has enjoyed a close working relationship with The Daily Telegraph for over 20 years, it would not be appropriate for him to continue writing his long-standing column for the newspaper given his new role as foreign secretary," his spokesman said. When asked if May had told Johnson to give up the column, the Prime Minister's spokeswoman said only that it was his decision. "Boris has been an outstanding columnist for The Daily Telegraph for many years, with a legion of devoted readers," said Telegraph Media Group editor Chris Evans, adding that he wished him well in his new job. Johnson, who stepped down as London mayor in May, was in Brussels today for his first talks with EU counterparts. The fifty-two-year-old was also working on a book on Shakespeare that was due to be published in October, but has now been postponed "for the forseeable future", publishers Hodder and Stoughton said. Johnson has received an advance payment of about £90,000 for the book, but it is thought unlikely that he will have to repay it as the commission has not been withdrawn. "Hodder and Stoughton confirm that they are postponing publication of Boris Johnson's 'Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius'," the publishers said in a statement. Documents released earlier this year showed Johnson earned £987,097 from his Telegraph column over the past four years, while book royalties brought in a further £469,385. In 2009, Johnson described his Telegraph earnings as "chicken feed". (AFP)

Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson quits controversial newspaper column

Branding him a liar, a&nbsp;coward&nbsp;or a joker, Europe&#39;s political class greeted Eurosceptic Boris Johnson&#39;s appointment as Britain&#39;s foreign minister with a chorus of dismay on Thursday.

French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault eschewed the customary diplomatic niceties to ask how a man who had told lies as leader of the Leave campaign in last month&#39;s British EU referendum could be a credible interlocutor.

&quot;I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but ... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back to the wall,&quot; Ayrault told Europe 1 radio.

&quot;I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable.&quot;

Johnson told reporters later he had received &quot;a charming letter&quot; from Ayrault saying how much he looked forward to working together and to deepening Anglo-French cooperation.

But he acknowledged: &quot;After a vote like the referendum result on June 23, it is inevitable there is going to be a certain amount of plaster coming off the ceiling in the chancelleries of Europe.

&quot;It wasn&#39;t the result they were expecting. Clearly they are making their views known in a frank and free way.&quot;

Johnson was accused of misleading voters by proclaiming that Britain was paying 350 million pounds ($468 million) a week to the EU that could be spent on the National Health Service. The figure did not take account of London&#39;s budget rebate or of EU spending on public and private sector projects in the UK.

EU leaders including European Council President Donald Tusk condemned Johnson&#39;s comparison during the campaign of the EU&#39;s goals with those of Hitler and Napoleon.

The rambunctious former mayor of London has insulted or lampooned a series of world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and both the Democratic and Republican candidates to succeed Obama.

After the June 23 vote to leave the European Union, Johnson took time off to play cricket and abruptly dropped a widely expected bid to stand as prime minister in place of fellow Conservative David Cameron, who had campaigned to stay in.

Cameron&#39;s successor, Theresa May, named the former mayor of London and one-time EU-bashing Brussels journalist as her foreign secretary late on Wednesday, and put another veteran Eurosceptic, David Davis, in charge of EU exit negotiations.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Johnson&#39;s appointment was a clear signal that Britain intended to leave the European Union and urged May to end uncertainty and give formal notice soon of London&#39;s intention to withdraw.

Merkel declined comment on Johnson&#39;s elevation when asked on a visit to Kyrgyzstan, but Steinmeier indirectly branded him &quot;irresponsible&quot;.

Speaking just before Johnson was appointed, Steinmeier said: &quot;It is bitter for Britain. People there are experiencing a rude awakening after irresponsible politicians first lured the country into Brexit then, once the decision was made, bolted and instead of taking responsibility went off to play cricket.

&quot;I find this outrageous but it&#39;s not just bitter for Britain. It&#39;s also bitter for the European Union.&quot;

Bastille Day&nbsp;boos

Attending a Bastille Day reception at the French ambassador&#39;s residence in London on Wednesday evening, Johnson was booed by a small section of the crowd of several hundred mostly French and British guests.

That was a foretaste of the potentially hostile reception he can expect when he attends his first EU foreign ministers&#39; meeting in Brussels on Monday.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini had invited ministers to an informal night-before dinner to discuss the foreign policy impact of Brexit, but diplomats said that date was now in doubt following Johnson&#39;s nomination.

Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, now the leading federalist liberal in the European Parliament, summed up the feelings of many on the continent when he tweeted: &quot;Clearly British humour has no borders.&quot;

Rebecca Harms, leader of the ecologist Greens group in the EU legislature said: &quot;At first I thought it was a joke. Now I don&#39;t know whether to laugh or cry. But I know it&#39;s not good when irresponsibility is rewarded in politics.&quot;

Johnson made his name as a Daily Telegraph journalist in Brussels in 1989-94, attacking the federalist ambitions of then European Commission President Jacques Delors and lampooning EU regulation, often stretching the facts to breaking point.

&quot;He was already a little brat back then and he hasn&#39;t changed,&quot; Pascal Lamy, who was Delors&#39; chief of staff and later head of the World Trade Organisation, said last month.

Earlier this year, Johnson won a magazine prize for a limerick depicting Erdogan cavorting with a goat, written to ridicule the Turkish leader&#39;s efforts to have German courts punish a German satirist for insulting him.

&quot;His negative comments on Erdogan and Turkey are unacceptable,&quot; a senior Turkish official said. &quot;However we&#39;re sure of one thing, that British-Turkish relations are more important than that and can&#39;t be hostage to these statements.

&quot;With his new responsibilities we are expecting a more positive attitude from Mr. Johnson,&quot; said the official of the new British minister, who had a Turkish great-grandfather.

Some of the strongest criticism came in Britain&#39;s own media.

The left-leaning Daily Mirror tabloid splashed a picture of then mayor Johnson strapped on a zipwire at the London Olympics wearing a helmet and waving Union Jack flags.

The caption: &quot;Dear World... Sorry&quot;

(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

While his French counterpart called him a 'liar', former Belgian prime minister Verhofstadt tweeted 'Clearly British humour has no borders'

Branding him a liar, a coward or a joker, Europe's political class greeted Eurosceptic Boris Johnson's appointment as Britain's foreign minister with a chorus of dismay on Thursday. French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault eschewed the customary diplomatic niceties to ask how a man who had told lies as leader of the Leave campaign in last month's British EU referendum could be a credible interlocutor. "I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but ... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back to the wall," Ayrault told Europe 1 radio. "I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable." Johnson told reporters later he had received "a charming letter" from Ayrault saying how much he looked forward to working together and to deepening Anglo-French cooperation. But he acknowledged: "After a vote like the referendum result on June 23, it is inevitable there is going to be a certain amount of plaster coming off the ceiling in the chancelleries of Europe. "It wasn't the result they were expecting. Clearly they are making their views known in a frank and free way." Johnson was accused of misleading voters by proclaiming that Britain was paying 350 million pounds ($468 million) a week to the EU that could be spent on the National Health Service. The figure did not take account of London's budget rebate or of EU spending on public and private sector projects in the UK. EU leaders including European Council President Donald Tusk condemned Johnson's comparison during the campaign of the EU's goals with those of Hitler and Napoleon. The rambunctious former mayor of London has insulted or lampooned a series of world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and both the Democratic and Republican candidates to succeed Obama. After the June 23 vote to leave the European Union, Johnson took time off to play cricket and abruptly dropped a widely expected bid to stand as prime minister in place of fellow Conservative David Cameron, who had campaigned to stay in. Cameron's successor, Theresa May, named the former mayor of London and one-time EU-bashing Brussels journalist as her foreign secretary late on Wednesday, and put another veteran Eurosceptic, David Davis, in charge of EU exit negotiations. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Johnson's appointment was a clear signal that Britain intended to leave the European Union and urged May to end uncertainty and give formal notice soon of London's intention to withdraw. Merkel declined comment on Johnson's elevation when asked on a visit to Kyrgyzstan, but Steinmeier indirectly branded him "irresponsible". Speaking just before Johnson was appointed, Steinmeier said: "It is bitter for Britain. People there are experiencing a rude awakening after irresponsible politicians first lured the country into Brexit then, once the decision was made, bolted and instead of taking responsibility went off to play cricket. "I find this outrageous but it's not just bitter for Britain. It's also bitter for the European Union." Bastille Day boos Attending a Bastille Day reception at the French ambassador's residence in London on Wednesday evening, Johnson was booed by a small section of the crowd of several hundred mostly French and British guests. That was a foretaste of the potentially hostile reception he can expect when he attends his first EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini had invited ministers to an informal night-before dinner to discuss the foreign policy impact of Brexit, but diplomats said that date was now in doubt following Johnson's nomination. Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, now the leading federalist liberal in the European Parliament, summed up the feelings of many on the continent when he tweeted: "Clearly British humour has no borders." Rebecca Harms, leader of the ecologist Greens group in the EU legislature said: "At first I thought it was a joke. Now I don't know whether to laugh or cry. But I know it's not good when irresponsibility is rewarded in politics." Johnson made his name as a Daily Telegraph journalist in Brussels in 1989-94, attacking the federalist ambitions of then European Commission President Jacques Delors and lampooning EU regulation, often stretching the facts to breaking point. "He was already a little brat back then and he hasn't changed," Pascal Lamy, who was Delors' chief of staff and later head of the World Trade Organisation, said last month. Earlier this year, Johnson won a magazine prize for a limerick depicting Erdogan cavorting with a goat, written to ridicule the Turkish leader's efforts to have German courts punish a German satirist for insulting him. "His negative comments on Erdogan and Turkey are unacceptable," a senior Turkish official said. "However we're sure of one thing, that British-Turkish relations are more important than that and can't be hostage to these statements. "With his new responsibilities we are expecting a more positive attitude from Mr. Johnson," said the official of the new British minister, who had a Turkish great-grandfather. Some of the strongest criticism came in Britain's own media. The left-leaning Daily Mirror tabloid splashed a picture of then mayor Johnson strapped on a zipwire at the London Olympics wearing a helmet and waving Union Jack flags. The caption: "Dear World... Sorry" (Reuters)

'Liar', 'coward', 'joker': Europe gives UK's Johnson hostile welcome

In Boris Johnson, Britain has appointed a liar with his back against the wall as its new foreign secretary at a time when somebody reliable is needed in the role, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said today. 
 
Johnson campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. In France, a founding EU member, he is seen as a key player in the departure and in the setback to European integration it represents. 
 
&quot;I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall,&quot; said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio. 
 
After the vote on June 23, Johnson turned his back on a chance to stand as prime minister in place of Conservative David Cameron, who stepped down having led the campaign to stay. 
 
However, on Wednesday, Cameron&#39;s successor, Theresa May, appointed the former mayor of London and one-time journalist as her foreign secretary. 
 
Johnson will not be in charge of talks about how the divorce will be arranged. May named David Davis, a pro-Brexit former Conservative Party leader, to a special ministerial role for that purpose. 
 
Nevertheless, the normally soft-spoken former French prime minister Ayrault had a strong warning for the new foreign policy chief of his near neighbour. 
 
&quot;(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear,&quot; Ayrault said. 
 
&quot;I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves.&quot; 
 
France and other EU partners have urged Britain to trigger quickly the process of exiting the bloc so that a two-year period of talks about trade terms and other links can begin. May has indicated she does not intend to do that this year. 
 
(Reuters)

'During the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall,' says Jean-Marc Ayrault

In Boris Johnson, Britain has appointed a liar with his back against the wall as its new foreign secretary at a time when somebody reliable is needed in the role, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said today. Johnson campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. In France, a founding EU member, he is seen as a key player in the departure and in the setback to European integration it represents. "I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall," said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio. After the vote on June 23, Johnson turned his back on a chance to stand as prime minister in place of Conservative David Cameron, who stepped down having led the campaign to stay. However, on Wednesday, Cameron's successor, Theresa May, appointed the former mayor of London and one-time journalist as her foreign secretary. Johnson will not be in charge of talks about how the divorce will be arranged. May named David Davis, a pro-Brexit former Conservative Party leader, to a special ministerial role for that purpose. Nevertheless, the normally soft-spoken former French prime minister Ayrault had a strong warning for the new foreign policy chief of his near neighbour. "(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear," Ayrault said. "I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable," he added. "We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves." France and other EU partners have urged Britain to trigger quickly the process of exiting the bloc so that a two-year period of talks about trade terms and other links can begin. May has indicated she does not intend to do that this year. (Reuters)

Boris Johnson is a liar, says French Foreign Minister

In Boris Johnson, Britain has appointed a liar with his back against the wall as its new foreign secretary at a time when somebody reliable is needed in the role, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said today.&nbsp; 
 
Johnson campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. In France, a founding EU member, he is seen as a key player in the departure and in the setback to European integration it represents. 
 
&quot;I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall,&quot; said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio. 
 
After the vote on June 23, Johnson turned his back on a chance to stand as prime minister in place of Conservative David Cameron, who stepped down having led the campaign to stay. 
 
However, on Wednesday, Cameron`s successor, Theresa May, appointed the former mayor of London and one-time journalist as her foreign secretary. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/johnson-20160714125658.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Boris Johnson (in photo) campaigned for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month.
</div>
 
 
Johnson will not be in charge of talks about how the divorce will be arranged. May named David Davis, a pro-Brexit former Conservative Party chairman, to a special ministerial role for that purpose. 
 
Nevertheless, the normally soft-spoken former French prime minister Ayrault had a strong warning for the new foreign policy chief of his near neighbour. 
 
&quot;(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear,&quot; Ayrault said. 
 
&quot;I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves.&quot; 
 
France and other EU partners have urged Britain to trigger quickly the process of exiting the bloc so that a two-year period of talks about trade terms and other links can begin. May has indicated she does not intend to do that this year.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

On Wednesday, David Cameron's successor, Theresa May, appointed London's former mayor Boris Johnson as her foreign secretary

In Boris Johnson, Britain has appointed a liar with his back against the wall as its new foreign secretary at a time when somebody reliable is needed in the role, his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault said today. Johnson campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. In France, a founding EU member, he is seen as a key player in the departure and in the setback to European integration it represents. "I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall," said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio. After the vote on June 23, Johnson turned his back on a chance to stand as prime minister in place of Conservative David Cameron, who stepped down having led the campaign to stay. However, on Wednesday, Cameron`s successor, Theresa May, appointed the former mayor of London and one-time journalist as her foreign secretary. Boris Johnson (in photo) campaigned for Britons to vote to leave the European Union last month. Johnson will not be in charge of talks about how the divorce will be arranged. May named David Davis, a pro-Brexit former Conservative Party chairman, to a special ministerial role for that purpose. Nevertheless, the normally soft-spoken former French prime minister Ayrault had a strong warning for the new foreign policy chief of his near neighbour. "(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear," Ayrault said. "I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable," he added. "We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves." France and other EU partners have urged Britain to trigger quickly the process of exiting the bloc so that a two-year period of talks about trade terms and other links can begin. May has indicated she does not intend to do that this year. (Reuters)

UK's Johnson lied in his campaign, now has his back against the wall: French foreign minister

Dubbed a liar by his French counterpart and lampooned as a &quot;political jester&quot; in European newspapers, chief Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson faced a wave of criticism and mockery today after being named Britain&#39;s foreign minister. 
 
In a shock move, new Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday appointed the eccentric former London mayor, known for his political antics and gaffe-prone style, as the top diplomat to lead the country out of the EU. 
 
French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that, as a &quot;Leave&quot; campaigner, Johnson had &quot;lied a lot&quot; and said his appointment &quot;reveals the British political crisis&quot; following the referendum. 
 
Ayrault claimed he was not worried about working with Johnson but stressed the need for a &quot;clear, credible and reliable&quot; negotiating partner. 
 
The outspoken European Parliament chief Martin Schulz also slammed May&#39;s new cabinet, saying it was based on solving internal party splits rather than the national interest. 
 
&quot;The United Kingdom has to break this dangerously vicious cycle which has direct impacts on the rest of Europe,&quot; Schulz said. 
 
Animosity is widespread in Europe about Johnson, who recently compared the EU&#39;s aims to those of Adolf Hitler. 
 
After the Brexit vote, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker labelled Johnson and other Leave campaigners &quot;sad heroes&quot;. 
 
German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking Wednesday, shortly before the news of Johnson&#39;s appointment, said he was outraged by Britain&#39;s &quot;irresponsible politicians who first lured the country into Brexit, then got out, refused to take responsibility, and went to go and play cricket&quot;. 
 
A deputy leader of the German Social Democrats, Ralf Stegner, said Johnson was not known for his diplomatic skills, adding: &quot;Now he&#39;ll negotiate the Brexit. Bon Voyage!&quot; 
 
&#39;King of the Blunder&#39; 
Many governments, in line with protocol, congratulated their new counterpart, who will make his diplomatic debut in Brussels next week. 
 
A US State Department spokesman told reporters that &quot;we look forward to engage with Boris Johnson&quot; and that the US-UK relationship &quot;goes beyond personalities&quot;. 
 
The foreign ministers of Latvia, Estonia and Norway were others who said they looked forward to meeting Johnson. 
 
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov voiced hopes that &quot;the weightiness of his current position, of course, will certainly prompt a somewhat different rhetoric of a more diplomatic nature.&quot; 
 
Most newspapers and social media, however, treated the appointment as the latest act in a political theatre of the absurd. 
 
Germany&#39;s Handelsblatt called Johnson a &quot;political jester&quot;, the daily Sueddeutsche labelled his appointment an example of &quot;British humour&quot;, while the French L&#39;Obs news magazine&#39;s headline was simply &quot;King of the Blunder&quot;. 
 
Germany&#39;s Die Welt said many initially thought the &quot;bombshell&quot; appointment was a joke. 
 
&quot;The fact that Theresa May is appointing, of all people, this undiplomatic, unpredictable and disloyal hotshot as foreign minister seems absurd at first glance,&quot; it said. 
 
But it also saw the move as calculated, arguing that &quot;the pressure now rests upon him - and his undoubted ambition - to prove himself&quot;. 
 
&#39;Poisoned chalice&#39; 
Germany news magazine Der Spiegel, in an online commentary headlined &quot;House of Cards in Britain&quot;, was withering. 
 
&quot;Those who thought the shamelessness with which Britain&#39;s political class play their power games could not be surpassed were disabused of that notion yesterday,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;Boris Johnson, King of Brexit, has now been rewarded with the post of foreign secretary, having initially stuck his head in the sand after the vote. 
 
&quot;Now, finally, there can be no more doubt that British politics is not concerned with the country&#39;s welfare, but with haggling for positions, personal ambitions and power plays.&quot; 
 
In its main article from London, Der Spiegel said Johnson &quot;himself seemed surprised&quot;, having been widely regarded as &quot;Britain&#39;s greatest bogeyman&quot; after the vote. 
 
But it also said May had appointed him &quot;to heal the party and to show the voters that she takes the referendum outcome seriously&quot;. 
 
France&#39;s Liberation reminded its readers that Johnson &quot;has never held a ministerial post and a few days ago he pathetically withdrew from the race to lead the Tory Party&quot;. 
 
&quot;What looks like a promotion could in fact be a poisoned chalice,&quot; the left-leaning paper said, adding that &quot;the real negotiations on the Brexit will be managed by a specially created ministry and by the prime minister&#39;s cabinet&quot;. 
 
On social media, writers let rip too, with one tweeting, &quot;A clown as the new foreign minister - comedy or Shakespearean tragedy?&quot; and another proposing that Johnson &quot;recruit Mr Bean as an adviser&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

Animosity is widespread in Europe about Boris Johnson, who recently compared the EU's aims to those of Adolf Hitler

Dubbed a liar by his French counterpart and lampooned as a "political jester" in European newspapers, chief Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson faced a wave of criticism and mockery today after being named Britain's foreign minister. In a shock move, new Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday appointed the eccentric former London mayor, known for his political antics and gaffe-prone style, as the top diplomat to lead the country out of the EU. French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that, as a "Leave" campaigner, Johnson had "lied a lot" and said his appointment "reveals the British political crisis" following the referendum. Ayrault claimed he was not worried about working with Johnson but stressed the need for a "clear, credible and reliable" negotiating partner. The outspoken European Parliament chief Martin Schulz also slammed May's new cabinet, saying it was based on solving internal party splits rather than the national interest. "The United Kingdom has to break this dangerously vicious cycle which has direct impacts on the rest of Europe," Schulz said. Animosity is widespread in Europe about Johnson, who recently compared the EU's aims to those of Adolf Hitler. After the Brexit vote, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker labelled Johnson and other Leave campaigners "sad heroes". German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking Wednesday, shortly before the news of Johnson's appointment, said he was outraged by Britain's "irresponsible politicians who first lured the country into Brexit, then got out, refused to take responsibility, and went to go and play cricket". A deputy leader of the German Social Democrats, Ralf Stegner, said Johnson was not known for his diplomatic skills, adding: "Now he'll negotiate the Brexit. Bon Voyage!" 'King of the Blunder' Many governments, in line with protocol, congratulated their new counterpart, who will make his diplomatic debut in Brussels next week. A US State Department spokesman told reporters that "we look forward to engage with Boris Johnson" and that the US-UK relationship "goes beyond personalities". The foreign ministers of Latvia, Estonia and Norway were others who said they looked forward to meeting Johnson. In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov voiced hopes that "the weightiness of his current position, of course, will certainly prompt a somewhat different rhetoric of a more diplomatic nature." Most newspapers and social media, however, treated the appointment as the latest act in a political theatre of the absurd. Germany's Handelsblatt called Johnson a "political jester", the daily Sueddeutsche labelled his appointment an example of "British humour", while the French L'Obs news magazine's headline was simply "King of the Blunder". Germany's Die Welt said many initially thought the "bombshell" appointment was a joke. "The fact that Theresa May is appointing, of all people, this undiplomatic, unpredictable and disloyal hotshot as foreign minister seems absurd at first glance," it said. But it also saw the move as calculated, arguing that "the pressure now rests upon him - and his undoubted ambition - to prove himself". 'Poisoned chalice' Germany news magazine Der Spiegel, in an online commentary headlined "House of Cards in Britain", was withering. "Those who thought the shamelessness with which Britain's political class play their power games could not be surpassed were disabused of that notion yesterday," it said. "Boris Johnson, King of Brexit, has now been rewarded with the post of foreign secretary, having initially stuck his head in the sand after the vote. "Now, finally, there can be no more doubt that British politics is not concerned with the country's welfare, but with haggling for positions, personal ambitions and power plays." In its main article from London, Der Spiegel said Johnson "himself seemed surprised", having been widely regarded as "Britain's greatest bogeyman" after the vote. But it also said May had appointed him "to heal the party and to show the voters that she takes the referendum outcome seriously". France's Liberation reminded its readers that Johnson "has never held a ministerial post and a few days ago he pathetically withdrew from the race to lead the Tory Party". "What looks like a promotion could in fact be a poisoned chalice," the left-leaning paper said, adding that "the real negotiations on the Brexit will be managed by a specially created ministry and by the prime minister's cabinet". On social media, writers let rip too, with one tweeting, "A clown as the new foreign minister - comedy or Shakespearean tragedy?" and another proposing that Johnson "recruit Mr Bean as an adviser". (AFP)

This man is Britain's new foreign minister? Europe asks

Turkey will draw a line under disparaging comments by Britain&#39;s new foreign secretary Boris Johnson about President Tayyip Erdogan and his nation, a senior official said today, but warned relations would be damaged if he repeated such insults. 
 
Johnson, the former London mayor who was appointed foreign secretary late on Wednesday by new Prime Minister Theresa May, won a &quot;President Erdogan Offensive Poetry competition&quot; run by Britain&#39;s Spectator magazine earlier this year. 
 
He was the most prominent figure in the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, which played on voters&#39; fears about immigration. This included a warning of dire consequences if Turkey, a largely Muslim nation of 79 million, joined the EU. The campaign culminated in a vote for &#39;Brexit&#39; on June 23. 
 
&quot;His negative comments on Erdogan and Turkey are unacceptable ... However we&#39;re sure of one thing, that British-Turkish relations are more important than that and can&#39;t be hostage to these statements,&quot; the Turkish official said. 
 
&quot;With his new responsibilities, we are expecting a more positive attitude from Mr. Johnson,&quot; said the official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. 
 
Turkish media talks about Johnson&#39;s &#39;Turkish roots&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Turkey&#39;s leaders have repeatedly warned about rising xenophobia and anti-immigrant views in Europe. They complained that the British referendum campaign was marred by anti-Turkish sentiment fuelled by mainstream politicians. 
 
The pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper described Johnson as known for &quot;his anti-Turkey and eurosceptic stance as the mayor of London&quot; and said his appointment &quot;raises questions about the future of Britain&#39;s international relations&quot;. 
 
Other mainstream newspapers talked about Johnson&#39;s Turkish roots but made no mention of his poem about Erdogan. Johnson&#39;s great-grandfather was an opposition figure in the late Ottoman period, who was lynched during Turkey&#39;s War of Independence in the early 1920s. 
 
Speaking ahead of Johnson&#39;s appointment, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also signalled his government would be ready to work with the former London mayor. 
 
&quot;What would I say to him? Well, may God help him and reform him and I hope that he won&#39;t make any more mistakes and try to make it up with the Turks,&quot; Yildirim said in an interview with the BBC recorded at the weekend and broadcast today.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;But the campaign is over, the referendum was held and there&#39;s no reason to discuss this anymore,&quot; he said. &nbsp; 
 
Turkey began its EU accession talks in 2005 after decades of knocking on the door but progress has been slow due to disagreements over Ankara&#39;s human rights record, Cyprus and other issues. It is not seen joining the bloc for many years. 
 
Despite the referendum campaign rhetoric, Britain was for a long time one of the main champions of Turkey&#39;s EU bid. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

"With his new responsibilities, we are expecting a more positive attitude from Mr Johnson," said the official.

Turkey will draw a line under disparaging comments by Britain's new foreign secretary Boris Johnson about President Tayyip Erdogan and his nation, a senior official said today, but warned relations would be damaged if he repeated such insults. Johnson, the former London mayor who was appointed foreign secretary late on Wednesday by new Prime Minister Theresa May, won a "President Erdogan Offensive Poetry competition" run by Britain's Spectator magazine earlier this year. He was the most prominent figure in the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, which played on voters' fears about immigration. This included a warning of dire consequences if Turkey, a largely Muslim nation of 79 million, joined the EU. The campaign culminated in a vote for 'Brexit' on June 23. "His negative comments on Erdogan and Turkey are unacceptable ... However we're sure of one thing, that British-Turkish relations are more important than that and can't be hostage to these statements," the Turkish official said. "With his new responsibilities, we are expecting a more positive attitude from Mr. Johnson," said the official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. Turkish media talks about Johnson's 'Turkish roots' Turkey's leaders have repeatedly warned about rising xenophobia and anti-immigrant views in Europe. They complained that the British referendum campaign was marred by anti-Turkish sentiment fuelled by mainstream politicians. The pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper described Johnson as known for "his anti-Turkey and eurosceptic stance as the mayor of London" and said his appointment "raises questions about the future of Britain's international relations". Other mainstream newspapers talked about Johnson's Turkish roots but made no mention of his poem about Erdogan. Johnson's great-grandfather was an opposition figure in the late Ottoman period, who was lynched during Turkey's War of Independence in the early 1920s. Speaking ahead of Johnson's appointment, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also signalled his government would be ready to work with the former London mayor. "What would I say to him? Well, may God help him and reform him and I hope that he won't make any more mistakes and try to make it up with the Turks," Yildirim said in an interview with the BBC recorded at the weekend and broadcast today. "But the campaign is over, the referendum was held and there's no reason to discuss this anymore," he said. Turkey began its EU accession talks in 2005 after decades of knocking on the door but progress has been slow due to disagreements over Ankara's human rights record, Cyprus and other issues. It is not seen joining the bloc for many years. Despite the referendum campaign rhetoric, Britain was for a long time one of the main champions of Turkey's EU bid. (Reuters)

UK-Turkey ties can't be hostage to Boris Johnson's quips: Turkish official

Former London mayor Boris Johnson, who shocked Britain last week when he decided not to stand to replace Prime Minister David Cameron, criticised the government on Monday for not having a positive plan to make a British exit from the EU work. 
 
Johnson, who led the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, said &quot;hysteria&quot; had gripped those who had supported staying in the bloc, and the government needed to explain the truth about the impact of Brexit. 
 
&quot;There is, among a section of the population, a kind of hysteria, a contagious mourning of the kind that I remember in 1997 after the death of (Diana) the Princess of Wales,&quot; Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph newspaper. 
 
&quot;It was wrong of the government to offer the public a binary choice on the EU without being willing, in the event that people voted Leave, to explain how this can be made to work in the interests of the UK and Europe. We cannot wait until mid-September, and a new PM.&quot; 
 
The flamboyant and popular Johnson, one of the most prominent Brexit campaigners, had been expected to join the contest to be the new Conservative leader after Cameron announced he would quit following the referendum vote to leave the EU. 
 
However, he pulled out when his ally, justice secretary Michael Gove, decided to run for the job himself, calling Johnson&#39;s abilities into question, which Johnson&#39;s supporters described as an act of Machiavellian treachery. 
 
A new leader is expected to be in place by early September. 
 
Johnson said fears about the impact of leaving the EU had been wildly overdone, saying the stock market had not collapsed and the emergency budget with spending cuts and tax rises had not materialised as finance minister and Remain supporter George Osborne had warned. 
 
Conservative lawmaker Ben Wallace, who was running Johnson&#39;s campaign, said he thought Gove himself was unfit to be the leader himself, calling him a gossip. 
 
&quot;Michael seems to have an emotional need to gossip, particularly when drink is taken, as it all too often seemed to be,&quot; Wallace wrote in the Telegraph. 
 
(Reuters)

'There is, among a section of the population, a contagious mourning of the kind that I remember in 1997 after the death of Princess Diana'

Former London mayor Boris Johnson, who shocked Britain last week when he decided not to stand to replace Prime Minister David Cameron, criticised the government on Monday for not having a positive plan to make a British exit from the EU work. Johnson, who led the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, said "hysteria" had gripped those who had supported staying in the bloc, and the government needed to explain the truth about the impact of Brexit. "There is, among a section of the population, a kind of hysteria, a contagious mourning of the kind that I remember in 1997 after the death of (Diana) the Princess of Wales," Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "It was wrong of the government to offer the public a binary choice on the EU without being willing, in the event that people voted Leave, to explain how this can be made to work in the interests of the UK and Europe. We cannot wait until mid-September, and a new PM." The flamboyant and popular Johnson, one of the most prominent Brexit campaigners, had been expected to join the contest to be the new Conservative leader after Cameron announced he would quit following the referendum vote to leave the EU. However, he pulled out when his ally, justice secretary Michael Gove, decided to run for the job himself, calling Johnson's abilities into question, which Johnson's supporters described as an act of Machiavellian treachery. A new leader is expected to be in place by early September. Johnson said fears about the impact of leaving the EU had been wildly overdone, saying the stock market had not collapsed and the emergency budget with spending cuts and tax rises had not materialised as finance minister and Remain supporter George Osborne had warned. Conservative lawmaker Ben Wallace, who was running Johnson's campaign, said he thought Gove himself was unfit to be the leader himself, calling him a gossip. "Michael seems to have an emotional need to gossip, particularly when drink is taken, as it all too often seemed to be," Wallace wrote in the Telegraph. (Reuters)

Ex-London mayor Boris Johnson says UK government needs to spell out Brexit benefits

Britain&#39;s two main political parties were embroiled in leadership battles today to decide who will lead the country through turbulent times in the wake of a vote to leave the European Union. 
 
Interior minister Theresa May, who had been a low-key supporter of remaining in the bloc, announced her bid to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron after he resigned in the wake of the referendum. 
 
&quot;Following last week&#39;s referendum, our country needs strong, proven leadership to steer us through this period of economic and political uncertainty, and to negotiate the best possible terms as we leave the European Union,&quot; May wrote in The Times newspaper. 
 
The 69-year-old&#39;s main rival for the Conservative leadership, the mop-haired former mayor of London and prominent &quot;Leave&quot; campaigner Boris Johnson, is expected to launch his campaign today. 
 
Challengers have until 1100 GMT to declare. Work and pensions minister Stephen Crabb and right-wing former defence minister Liam Fox are also expected to run. 
 
Cameron has left to his successor the task of renegotiating Britain&#39;s relationship with the EU following an exit vote that has roiled the markets, sunk the pound, and prompted economists to slash their growth forecasts for the country. 
 
The next Conservative party leader will take over by early September and will face a decision on whether to seek an election to gain a public mandate. 
 
But Britain is also under pressure from the EU not to delay starting the formal notification of leaving the bloc, Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. 
 
European leaders, keen not to encourage burgeoning anti-EU movements across the continent, have warned that Britain will not be able to pick and choose the cosiest terms of divorce. 
 
Britain&#39;s main opposition party Labour has also been thrown into turmoil by the vote, as lawmakers moved in its aftermath to oust left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn in a slow-motion revolt. 
 
Senior lawmaker Angela Eagle is expected to announce a leadership challenge to Corbyn, who has refused to resign despite losing a confidence vote by MPs. 
 
Corbyn, 67, has been criticised for making a lacklustre bid for Britain to remain in the EU, and even insinuations from former allies that he harboured eurosceptic feelings himself. 
 
At a rally at a London university on Wednesday, a heckler called out &quot;What about Europe, Jeremy? Where were you when we needed you?&quot; before being drowned out by booing. 
 
&quot;We`re in the midst of a very interesting political time in this country. I was very honoured to be elected to lead the Labour party last year,&quot; Corbyn told the cheering young activists who form his support base. 
 
&quot;The mandate was given by hundreds of thousands of ordinary people... I`m very proud to be carrying on with that work.&quot; 
 
Though Labour lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence against him by 172 to 40, Corbyn insists he still has the support of the party membership and will fight any leadership challenge he sees as a plot by the more right-wing elements of his party. 
 
The former pensions minister Eagle quit as Corbyn`s business spokeswoman earlier this week in one of a string of resignations. 
 
The ructions in both parties were splashed across today&#39;s front pages. 
 
&quot;Now it`s civil war&quot; declared the Daily Mirror, a historically Labour-supporting newspaper, with a photograph of Corbyn. 
 
&quot;Boris: I want to be your PM&quot; read the eurosceptic Daily Express, while The Times read &quot;May: I will reunite Britain&quot;. 
 
May has a record as a hardliner on immigration, a driving issue in the EU referendum which was presented by &quot;Leave&quot; campaigners as an opportunity to reduce the numbers arriving in Britain. 
 
Following through with that promise could prove a challenge. 
 
EU president Donald Tusk warned Wednesday that if Britain wanted access to the bloc`s huge single market of 500 million people, it would have to accept the free movement of EU citizens. 
 
(AFP)

Boris Johnson is expected to announce his candidacy today, Theresa May has already announced her's

Britain's two main political parties were embroiled in leadership battles today to decide who will lead the country through turbulent times in the wake of a vote to leave the European Union. Interior minister Theresa May, who had been a low-key supporter of remaining in the bloc, announced her bid to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron after he resigned in the wake of the referendum. "Following last week's referendum, our country needs strong, proven leadership to steer us through this period of economic and political uncertainty, and to negotiate the best possible terms as we leave the European Union," May wrote in The Times newspaper. The 69-year-old's main rival for the Conservative leadership, the mop-haired former mayor of London and prominent "Leave" campaigner Boris Johnson, is expected to launch his campaign today. Challengers have until 1100 GMT to declare. Work and pensions minister Stephen Crabb and right-wing former defence minister Liam Fox are also expected to run. Cameron has left to his successor the task of renegotiating Britain's relationship with the EU following an exit vote that has roiled the markets, sunk the pound, and prompted economists to slash their growth forecasts for the country. The next Conservative party leader will take over by early September and will face a decision on whether to seek an election to gain a public mandate. But Britain is also under pressure from the EU not to delay starting the formal notification of leaving the bloc, Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. European leaders, keen not to encourage burgeoning anti-EU movements across the continent, have warned that Britain will not be able to pick and choose the cosiest terms of divorce. Britain's main opposition party Labour has also been thrown into turmoil by the vote, as lawmakers moved in its aftermath to oust left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn in a slow-motion revolt. Senior lawmaker Angela Eagle is expected to announce a leadership challenge to Corbyn, who has refused to resign despite losing a confidence vote by MPs. Corbyn, 67, has been criticised for making a lacklustre bid for Britain to remain in the EU, and even insinuations from former allies that he harboured eurosceptic feelings himself. At a rally at a London university on Wednesday, a heckler called out "What about Europe, Jeremy? Where were you when we needed you?" before being drowned out by booing. "We`re in the midst of a very interesting political time in this country. I was very honoured to be elected to lead the Labour party last year," Corbyn told the cheering young activists who form his support base. "The mandate was given by hundreds of thousands of ordinary people... I`m very proud to be carrying on with that work." Though Labour lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence against him by 172 to 40, Corbyn insists he still has the support of the party membership and will fight any leadership challenge he sees as a plot by the more right-wing elements of his party. The former pensions minister Eagle quit as Corbyn`s business spokeswoman earlier this week in one of a string of resignations. The ructions in both parties were splashed across today's front pages. "Now it`s civil war" declared the Daily Mirror, a historically Labour-supporting newspaper, with a photograph of Corbyn. "Boris: I want to be your PM" read the eurosceptic Daily Express, while The Times read "May: I will reunite Britain". May has a record as a hardliner on immigration, a driving issue in the EU referendum which was presented by "Leave" campaigners as an opportunity to reduce the numbers arriving in Britain. Following through with that promise could prove a challenge. EU president Donald Tusk warned Wednesday that if Britain wanted access to the bloc`s huge single market of 500 million people, it would have to accept the free movement of EU citizens. (AFP)

War of the British succession

Conservative Party member Theresa May said in an article published in The Times, London, on Thursday she was set to launch her campaign for the position of the leader of the Tory party and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. 
 
&quot;Today I will launch my campaign to become the leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. And I do so for three clear reasons.&nbsp;First, following last week&rsquo;s referendum, our country needs strong, proven leadership to steer us through this period of economic and political uncertainty, and to negotiate the best possible terms as we leave the European Union,&quot; she wrote in the piece. 
 
Her article assumes significance in a scenario where former London mayor Boris Johnson&#39;s name was still doing the rounds as the front-runner for the Prime Minister&#39;s position following David Cameron&#39;s decision to step down. Johnson was one of the foremost &#39;Leave&quot; campaigners. 
 
Barely a few hours before the nominations for the leadership of the Tory party closed on Thursday, Johnson announced he was no longer in the race&nbsp;for Prime Ministership after Micheal Gove, justice minister, announced that he would no longer support his candidature. 
 
Now the contest is pitched between Gove and May who as the interior minister campaigned to remain in the EU. 
 
May pitched the Tories as the only solid option for UK &quot;with the labour party tearing itself to pieces&quot;. 
 
&quot;We need leadership that can unite our party and our country. With the Labour Party tearing itself to pieces, and divisive nationalists in Scotland and Wales, it is the patriotic duty of the Conservative Party to unite and govern in the best interests of the whole country,&quot; she wrote. 
 
&quot;We need a bold, new, positive vision for the future of our country &mdash; a vision of a country that works not for a privileged few but for everyone, regardless of who they are and regardless of where they&rsquo;re from.&quot; 
 
May went on to write about the hardships the poor and the marginalised faced in today&#39;s Britain. &quot;If you&rsquo;re born poor in today&rsquo;s Britain, you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you&rsquo;re black, you&rsquo;re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you&rsquo;re white. If you&rsquo;re a white, working-class boy, you&rsquo;re less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
May wrote she will be arguing in favour of a new and radical programme of social reform. This programme will include big changes to the way Britian thinks about its economy, its society and its democracy. She stressed that she was a believer in capitalism and free markets, but where capitalism was not helping to provide opportunity for all, she wanted to reform it. 
 
&quot;We need to think differently about the role of the state. Instead of thinking of it always as the problem, we should acknowledge that often it is only the state that can provide solutions to the problems we face. So yes, the state needs to be small, but it needs to be strong.&quot; 
 
She added, &quot;Under my leadership, the motives of the Conservative Party will never be in any doubt. We will put ourselves at the service of ordinary, working people and we will strive to make Britain a country that works for everyone, regardless of who they are and regardless of where they&rsquo;re from.&quot; 
 
(WION)

In an editorial for The Times, the interior minister announced her campaign for occupying 10, Downing Street

Conservative Party member Theresa May said in an article published in The Times, London, on Thursday she was set to launch her campaign for the position of the leader of the Tory party and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. "Today I will launch my campaign to become the leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. And I do so for three clear reasons. First, following last week’s referendum, our country needs strong, proven leadership to steer us through this period of economic and political uncertainty, and to negotiate the best possible terms as we leave the European Union," she wrote in the piece. Her article assumes significance in a scenario where former London mayor Boris Johnson's name was still doing the rounds as the front-runner for the Prime Minister's position following David Cameron's decision to step down. Johnson was one of the foremost 'Leave" campaigners. Barely a few hours before the nominations for the leadership of the Tory party closed on Thursday, Johnson announced he was no longer in the race for Prime Ministership after Micheal Gove, justice minister, announced that he would no longer support his candidature. Now the contest is pitched between Gove and May who as the interior minister campaigned to remain in the EU. May pitched the Tories as the only solid option for UK "with the labour party tearing itself to pieces". "We need leadership that can unite our party and our country. With the Labour Party tearing itself to pieces, and divisive nationalists in Scotland and Wales, it is the patriotic duty of the Conservative Party to unite and govern in the best interests of the whole country," she wrote. "We need a bold, new, positive vision for the future of our country — a vision of a country that works not for a privileged few but for everyone, regardless of who they are and regardless of where they’re from." May went on to write about the hardships the poor and the marginalised faced in today's Britain. "If you’re born poor in today’s Britain, you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white. If you’re a white, working-class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university." May wrote she will be arguing in favour of a new and radical programme of social reform. This programme will include big changes to the way Britian thinks about its economy, its society and its democracy. She stressed that she was a believer in capitalism and free markets, but where capitalism was not helping to provide opportunity for all, she wanted to reform it. "We need to think differently about the role of the state. Instead of thinking of it always as the problem, we should acknowledge that often it is only the state that can provide solutions to the problems we face. So yes, the state needs to be small, but it needs to be strong." She added, "Under my leadership, the motives of the Conservative Party will never be in any doubt. We will put ourselves at the service of ordinary, working people and we will strive to make Britain a country that works for everyone, regardless of who they are and regardless of where they’re from." (WION)

Theresa May in race for Tory leadership and UK PM's post

The first candidate to put himself forward to succeed David Cameron as British prime minister, Stephen Crabb, has said a top priority for him would be to take back control of immigration policy. 
 
Crabb, the work and pensions secretary in Cameron&#39;s government, had supported a &quot;Remain&quot; vote in last week&#39;s referendum on the European Union, which saw Britain vote to leave the bloc by 52 to 48 percent. 
 
Cameron, who led the Remain campaign, has announced his resignation and a leadership contest will now take place in the ruling Conservative Party to elect his successor by early September. 
 
&quot;We cannot allow this leadership election to be defined by divisive labels like &#39;Remainer&#39; and &#39;Brexiteer&#39;,&quot; Crabb wrote in a column in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, calling on Conservatives to unite. 
 
Crabb said the people&#39;s verdict on the EU was clear and there would be no going back. A second referendum revisiting the issue was out of the question, he wrote. 
 
&quot;I want to lead a government that delivers on the expectations of the 17 million people who voted for Britain to leave the EU,&quot; he wrote. 
 
&quot;One of the overwhelming messages from that vote was the need to take back control of immigration policy in the UK. So for me, freedom of movement is a red line.&quot; 
 
The Remain camp had argued that if Britain wanted to retain access to the European single market, which it presented as crucial for its economy, it would have to come to a compromise over freedom of movement which is a key principle for the EU. 
 
A former state school pupil who was brought up by his single mother in a social housing home and once worked as a building site labourer,Crabb has been dubbed the &quot;blue collar ticket&quot; by some newspapers. 
 
His background contrasts dramatically with those of Cameron and of Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who is seen as the frontrunner in the leadership contest, both of whom attended Eton, an elite private boarding school, and Oxford University. 
 
Crabb has gained support from Business Secretary Sajid Javid. 
 
Nominations must be submitted by Thursday. Apart from Johnson, the other senior figure widely expected to join the fray is Home Secretary Theresa May. 
 
(Reuters)

Stephen Crabb, work and pensions secretary in Cameron's government, had supported a "Remain" vote in last week's referendum on EU

The first candidate to put himself forward to succeed David Cameron as British prime minister, Stephen Crabb, has said a top priority for him would be to take back control of immigration policy. Crabb, the work and pensions secretary in Cameron's government, had supported a "Remain" vote in last week's referendum on the European Union, which saw Britain vote to leave the bloc by 52 to 48 percent. Cameron, who led the Remain campaign, has announced his resignation and a leadership contest will now take place in the ruling Conservative Party to elect his successor by early September. "We cannot allow this leadership election to be defined by divisive labels like 'Remainer' and 'Brexiteer'," Crabb wrote in a column in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, calling on Conservatives to unite. Crabb said the people's verdict on the EU was clear and there would be no going back. A second referendum revisiting the issue was out of the question, he wrote. "I want to lead a government that delivers on the expectations of the 17 million people who voted for Britain to leave the EU," he wrote. "One of the overwhelming messages from that vote was the need to take back control of immigration policy in the UK. So for me, freedom of movement is a red line." The Remain camp had argued that if Britain wanted to retain access to the European single market, which it presented as crucial for its economy, it would have to come to a compromise over freedom of movement which is a key principle for the EU. A former state school pupil who was brought up by his single mother in a social housing home and once worked as a building site labourer,Crabb has been dubbed the "blue collar ticket" by some newspapers. His background contrasts dramatically with those of Cameron and of Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who is seen as the frontrunner in the leadership contest, both of whom attended Eton, an elite private boarding school, and Oxford University. Crabb has gained support from Business Secretary Sajid Javid. Nominations must be submitted by Thursday. Apart from Johnson, the other senior figure widely expected to join the fray is Home Secretary Theresa May. (Reuters)

British PM candidate Crabb says immigration control a top priority

Britain could have a new prime minister by early September, the ruling Conservative Party said today, after David Cameron started laying the groundwork for his successor to trigger the country&#39;s exit from the European Union. 
 
The government is under pressure to fill a vacuum left when Cameron announced he would resign by October after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the 28-member bloc in last week&#39;s referendum. 
 
Triggering a leadership battle which could draw in some of his closest advisers, Cameron urged ministers to work together in the meantime. But he also formed a separate unit, staffed by public servants, to help advise Britain on its departure and its options for a future outside the EU. 
 
Graham Brady, chair of the &quot;1922 committee&quot; of Conservative lawmakers which sets the party&#39;s ground rules in parliament, said the group had recommended that the leadership contest should begin next week and conclude no later than Sept. 2. 
 
That recommendation will almost certainly be passed. 
 
&quot;Both the Conservatives and the country more generally really want certainty. We would like a resolution and we think it would be a good thing to conclude this process as soon as we practicably can,&quot; Brady told Sky News. 
 
He said there should be no new parliamentary election before Britain had negotiated the terms of its exit from the EU. 
 
Several Conservative lawmakers have urged leadership candidates to try to broker a deal quickly to make sure that any campaign is as painless as possible, to avoid deepening divisions exposed during the referendum campaign. 
 
&quot;A leadership contest now is not in the interests of our country,&quot; said Justine Greening, international development minister. &quot;It will mean our party focuses inward at the very time our country most needs us to focus outward.&quot; 
 
Jockeying for position 
 
All eyes are on former London mayor Boris Johnson, the most prominent of the &quot;Leave&quot; campaigners and now bookmakers&#39; favourite to succeed Cameron. 
 
But not all party members back him and many are pressing for &quot;Anyone But Boris&quot;, seeing his decision to back the Leave campaign as a betrayal of his former ally Cameron, according to media reports. 
 
Cameron&#39;s spokeswoman declined to comment on the leadership battle and said there had been no discussion at today&#39;s cabinet meeting, which did not include Johnson, about the possibility of an early parliamentary election. 
 
Instead, she said, the Prime Minister had urged unity both in government and in the country and had announced he had set up an advisory unit to help manage Britain&#39;s departure from the European Union and to make sure his successor has all the possible information necessary to decide the country&#39;s future. 
 
The unit would &quot;make sure we have done the groundwork ready for a new prime minister. So it is about preparing advice on the whole range of issues that will need to be looked at, things like transitional issues,&quot; she said, adding that Oliver Letwin, a lawmaker and friend of Cameron&#39;s, would be involved in it. 
 
For now, the priority was working together on government business, which some critics say has been all but put on hold since campaigning for the referendum began in February, and reassuring the many migrants who fear their status may change. 
 
Cameron would not put up with intolerance, she added, after reports that migrants, particularly those from Poland, had been told by some Britons to &quot;go home&quot; after the referendum. 
 
&quot;Across Britain we should be standing together at the moment, to not allow the result of this referendum to divide communities or to provoke fear amongst some.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

All eyes are on former London mayor, Boris Johnson, the most prominent of the 'Leave' campaigners expected to succeed David Cameron

Britain could have a new prime minister by early September, the ruling Conservative Party said today, after David Cameron started laying the groundwork for his successor to trigger the country's exit from the European Union. The government is under pressure to fill a vacuum left when Cameron announced he would resign by October after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the 28-member bloc in last week's referendum. Triggering a leadership battle which could draw in some of his closest advisers, Cameron urged ministers to work together in the meantime. But he also formed a separate unit, staffed by public servants, to help advise Britain on its departure and its options for a future outside the EU. Graham Brady, chair of the "1922 committee" of Conservative lawmakers which sets the party's ground rules in parliament, said the group had recommended that the leadership contest should begin next week and conclude no later than Sept. 2. That recommendation will almost certainly be passed. "Both the Conservatives and the country more generally really want certainty. We would like a resolution and we think it would be a good thing to conclude this process as soon as we practicably can," Brady told Sky News. He said there should be no new parliamentary election before Britain had negotiated the terms of its exit from the EU. Several Conservative lawmakers have urged leadership candidates to try to broker a deal quickly to make sure that any campaign is as painless as possible, to avoid deepening divisions exposed during the referendum campaign. "A leadership contest now is not in the interests of our country," said Justine Greening, international development minister. "It will mean our party focuses inward at the very time our country most needs us to focus outward." Jockeying for position All eyes are on former London mayor Boris Johnson, the most prominent of the "Leave" campaigners and now bookmakers' favourite to succeed Cameron. But not all party members back him and many are pressing for "Anyone But Boris", seeing his decision to back the Leave campaign as a betrayal of his former ally Cameron, according to media reports. Cameron's spokeswoman declined to comment on the leadership battle and said there had been no discussion at today's cabinet meeting, which did not include Johnson, about the possibility of an early parliamentary election. Instead, she said, the Prime Minister had urged unity both in government and in the country and had announced he had set up an advisory unit to help manage Britain's departure from the European Union and to make sure his successor has all the possible information necessary to decide the country's future. The unit would "make sure we have done the groundwork ready for a new prime minister. So it is about preparing advice on the whole range of issues that will need to be looked at, things like transitional issues," she said, adding that Oliver Letwin, a lawmaker and friend of Cameron's, would be involved in it. For now, the priority was working together on government business, which some critics say has been all but put on hold since campaigning for the referendum began in February, and reassuring the many migrants who fear their status may change. Cameron would not put up with intolerance, she added, after reports that migrants, particularly those from Poland, had been told by some Britons to "go home" after the referendum. "Across Britain we should be standing together at the moment, to not allow the result of this referendum to divide communities or to provoke fear amongst some." (Reuters)

Britain may see new PM by early September, readies for Brexit

One of the key &quot;Leave&quot;&nbsp;campaigners in Britain`s European Union (EU) membership referendum, Boris Johnson, has won the backing of Justice minister Michael Gove to replace David Cameron as prime minister, a newspaper has reported. 
 
Gove reportedly called Johnson by telephone on Saturday to say he would back him for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party, The Sunday Times said. 
 
After voters in the referendum took the historic decision to back the &quot;Leave&quot; campaign which was led by Johnson and Gove, Cameron announced on Friday that he would step down as prime minister by October. Cameron had urged voters to stay in the bloc. 
 
The Sunday Times said interior minister Theresa May was expected to enter the leadership contest in the coming days and was likely to get support from allies of Cameron who see her as the best candidate to take on Johnson, a former London mayor. 
 
May supported the &quot;Remain&quot; campaign but took a lower profile than Cameron and finance minister George Osborne, whose hopes of becoming the party`s next leader took a big blow with the outcome of the referendum.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Theresa May was expected to enter the leadership contest and was likely to get support from allies of Cameron, reports suggest

One of the key "Leave" campaigners in Britain`s European Union (EU) membership referendum, Boris Johnson, has won the backing of Justice minister Michael Gove to replace David Cameron as prime minister, a newspaper has reported. Gove reportedly called Johnson by telephone on Saturday to say he would back him for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party, The Sunday Times said. After voters in the referendum took the historic decision to back the "Leave" campaign which was led by Johnson and Gove, Cameron announced on Friday that he would step down as prime minister by October. Cameron had urged voters to stay in the bloc. The Sunday Times said interior minister Theresa May was expected to enter the leadership contest in the coming days and was likely to get support from allies of Cameron who see her as the best candidate to take on Johnson, a former London mayor. May supported the "Remain" campaign but took a lower profile than Cameron and finance minister George Osborne, whose hopes of becoming the party`s next leader took a big blow with the outcome of the referendum. (Reuters)

Boris Johnson wins justice minister's backing to replace Cameron as PM

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