Tory leadership race – live: Johnson under fire after ambassador resigns, as Labour face questions over antisemitism probes
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Your support makes all the difference.Conservative MPs rounded on Boris Johnson after it emerged that the US ambassador had decided to resign in the wake of the senior Tory's lack of support.
Sir Kim Darroch said his job had become “impossible” after the leak of diplomatic memos highly critical of Donald Trump’s administration.
His decision is understood to have been made after Mr Johnson repeatedly refused to support him during a televised Tory leadership debate on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Labour denied claims senior figures in the party interfered with anti-semitism complaints as a BBC Panorama documentary was set to air at 9pm.
A Labour spokesman accused the broadcaster of “pre-determining” the outcome of its investigation – while the broadcaster claimed the party was “criticising a programme they have not seen”.
See below for live updates
May goes on the attack in a big way over antisemitism, telling Corbyn that she will take no lectures on discrimination from his party.
Corbyn hits back, saying the Tories have failed to get to grips over Islamophobia. He then attacks May over the Windrush scandal.
May ays she has apologised for the Windrush "mistakes" but some of those people were deported under Labour.
She goes for Corbyn, saying the party campaigns against gagging clauses and yet makes staff sign them.
It's a good hit - see the story from the weekend.
Corbyn is furious. He says the Tories "consort with" and "suck up" to racists in the European Parliament. He goes back to his attack on legal aid, saying there is no access to justice without equal access.
May hits him with antisemitism again, quoting Labour former general secretary Lord Triesman, who resigned yesterday over antisemitism.
She says Labour's new slogan is "Tax, Tax, Tax, Injustice, Injustice".
Despite the fury of the clash, the action is elsewhere. Tom Watson goes for rumours that Kim Darroch's decision was informed by Boris Johnson's refusal to back him last night.
Kim Darroch has quit as UK ambassador to the United States, saying his job had become “impossible” after his savaging by Donald Trump.
The top diplomat announced his resignation, hours after Boris Johnson refused to say he would stand by him if he wins the race for No 10.
“Since the leak of official documents from this embassy, there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding my position and the duration of my remaining term as ambassador,” Sir Kim wrote.
Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, has put out a statement on the resignation of the UK ambassador to the US.
“I am deeply saddened by Sir Kim Darroch’s decision to resign as Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Washington. For 42 years, Sir Kim served his country with the utmost dedication and distinction.
“His career took him from Tokyo to Brussels, from Downing Street - where he became National Security Adviser – to our Embassy in Washington. If one theme ran through all his endeavours, it was his unswerving devotion to upholding the interests of the United Kingdom, in the best tradition of British diplomacy.
“In that spirit, he brought dispassionate insight and directness to his reporting to ministers in London. Whenever I visited Washington as Foreign Secretary, I was struck by Sir Kim’s professionalism and intellect. I am outraged that a selection of his reports should have been leaked.
“I am sure that our Ambassadors worldwide will continue to provide the objective and rigorous reporting that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has always prized. I profoundly regret how this episode has led Sir Kim to decide to resign. He deserves to look back upon his career as a servant of Britain with the greatest satisfaction and pride.”
Another senior politician draws a link between Boris Johnson's refusal to back Sir Kim Darroch and his resignation. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon describes it as a "shameful" episode.
Chair of the powerful foreign affairs committee, Tom Tughendhat, says the UK is weakened by the Darroch row.
British ambassador to the US, Sir Kim Darroch, resigned after seeing likely future prime minister Boris Johnson refuse to back him over leaked criticism of Donald Trump, The Independent understands.
More here:
Boris Johnson has reacted to the news that Sir Kim Darroch has resigned.
On a campaign visit to a pub in London, he said: "I regret that really because I think he was a superb diplomat and I worked with him for many years.
"I think whoever leaked his diptels (diplomatic telegrams) really has done a grave disservice to our civil servants, to people who give impartial advice to ministers.
"I hope that whoever it is, is run down, caught and eviscerated, quite frankly, because it is not right that advice to ministers that civil servants must be able to make in a spirit of freedom should be leaked.
"It is not right that civil servants’ careers and prospects should be dragged into the political agenda and I think we should be protecting brilliant civil servants."
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