Boris Johnson denies being shut out of top secret meetings as foreign secretary
Boris Johnson has denied claims he was frozen out of sensitive security meetings when he was foreign secretary, saying: “It’s not true.”
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The Tory leadership frontrunner told a hustings in Darlington that he was “extremely dubious about the provenance of this story”.
According to the BBC, Prime Minister Theresa May and top figures in the intelligence community worried Johnson could not keep sensitive information a secret.
May would allegedly hold smaller meetings to talk about top secret issues to avoid sharing them with the then foreign secretary.
During today’s leadership hustings in the north eastern town, Johnson said: “I don’t comment on intelligence matters”.
Johnson’s opponent, the current foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, was also being interviewed by CNN’s Hannah Vaughan Jones.
When asked whether he has full access to classified information, Hunt also said: “I’m not commenting on intelligence matters.”
He said the work of the intelligence services depended on “some discretion by the foreign secretary”.
Johnson and Hunt are the final candidates remaining in a race that at one stage had over 18 Tory MPs vying for the top job.
Former mayor of London Johnson is the strong favourite to become the next Conservative leader and PM after Tory members vote.
Read more: Hunt warns China of ‘serious consequences’ over Hong Kong
Ballots are currently being sent out to party members, and the result is expected to be announced on 23 July.