Boris Johnson leadership bid in disarray as debate cancelled over no-show and Tory MPs threaten to collapse his government - as it happened

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Jeremy Hunt has accused Boris Johnson of cowardice after the favourite to become the UK’s next prime minister refused to discuss the noisy altercation with his girlfriend.

Writing in The Times, the foreign secretary said his rival was “pathetically” avoiding questioning and trying to ”slink through the back door” of No 10.

“Don’t be a coward Boris,” Mr Hunt wrote as he urged the Tory frontrunner to show up to a Sky News debate on Tuesday. “Man up and show the nation you can cope with the intense scrutiny the most difficult job in the country will involve.”

Conservative leadership contender Jeremy Hunt has warned that a Boris Johnson government would rapidly collapse, paving the way for Labour to take power.

Mr Hunt said the frontrunner for the Conservative leadership had built an alliance of supporters and opponents of a no-deal Brexit which could not survive in office.

"He is going to come to power on a very fragile coalition of people like Matt Hancock who wants no-deal taken off the table, Mark Francois who wants no-deal," he told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

"Sometimes in politics you can fudge and get away with it but in the case of Brexit you are going to have to make decisions immediately, and that very fragile coalition will collapse immediately when you have to make those decisions.

"If that happens we won't have another leadership contest, we will have Jeremy Corbyn in No 10 and there won't be any Brexit at all."

A dozen Tory MPs could vote to topple a Boris Johnson government if the frontrunner in the leadership contest pushes for a no-deal Brexit, a defence minister has warned.

Tobias Ellwood said the rebels - including ministers - would opt for the "nuclear option" and risk a general election if it meant avoiding the UK crashing out of the European Union.

The stark warning echoes comments from Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, who admitted earlier this month there were a sufficient number of Conservative MPs willing to take the extraordinary step.

Trade unionists overwhelmingly back a fresh Brexit referendum, a survey has found, as Jeremy Corbyn consults them ahead of a possible shift in Labour policy.

Almost two-thirds of union members support a Final Say public vote, it showed – rising to more than three-quarters of those who backed Labour at the last general election.

They also want Labour to campaign for the UK to stay in the EU by a three-to-one margin and are three times more likely to vote for a Labour Party fully backing a referendum than deterred from doing so.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has hit out at "Corbynista curtain twitchers" over the row surrounding Boris Johnson's personal life, who the Brexiteer is supporting for the leadership.

"I think the idea that snooping neighbours are recording what is going on for political advantage and then Class War protesters are coming to politicians' front doors - which happened to me as well - is not a good place for politics to be," he said.

He said Mr Johnson was right to avoid questions on Friday night's row, telling LBC: "Once you start saying 'I am going to answer these questions', then every question is opened up."

Two thirds of Conservative Party members believe that parts of Britain “operate under Sharia law”, a new poll has shown amid a mounting Islamophobia scandal, writes home affairs correspondent Lizzie Dearden.

A YouGov poll found that almost half of Tories believed in the myth of no-go zones where “non-Muslims are not able to enter” and 39 per cent thought Islamist terror attacks “reflected widespread hostility to Britain among the Muslim community”.

Counter-extremism group Hope Not Hate called on leadership candidates Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt to address the “Islamophobia crisis” in their party.

“From the grassroots to the great offices of state, Conservative members buy into racist myths, with almost half unwilling to have a Muslim prime minister – and only 8 per cent being proud to have one – and most denying that there’s even an issue to confront,” said campaigns director Matthew McGregor.

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Sir Nicholas Soames – the grandson of Winston Churchill – known for his lengthy hashtags on Twitter has had a few thoughts on Boris Johnson this morning. 

Sky News has postponed its planned Conservative leadership debate as Boris Johnson has refused to take part, the broadcaster has just revealed.

A spokesman said: "Sky News has been planning to hold a debate tomorrow between the two remaining candidates in the Conservative leadership election.

"Jeremy Hunt has agreed to take part but Boris Johnson has so far declined the invitation.

"We stand ready to host a debate tomorrow evening if both candidates make themselves available.

"Without both candidates, tomorrow's debate will not take place.

"But we will reissue our invitation for Mr Hunt and Mr Johnson to debate live on Sky News next Monday, July 1."

Here's more on the news that Boris Johnson has refused to take part in a Sky News leadership debate, forcing the broadcaster to postpone the show unless the favourite to become prime minister changes his mind. 

Sky said he has "so far declined the invitation" to go head-to-head with rival Jeremy Hunt - who has accused his opponent of "bottling it".