BORIS Johnson has “used up all of his lives,” a senior MP has said after the Foreign Secretary was humiliatingly slapped down by Downing Street over his claim that British ally Saudi Arabia had been "playing proxy wars" in the Middle East.
Another backbencher suggested Mr Johnson had been given a “clear yellow card” by Theresa May, who was said to have been livid at her colleague’s remarks, not least because she was in the Persian Gulf this week, trying to enhance relations with the oil-rich state.
The Secretary of State will have an opportunity to repair relations when he visits Saudi Arabia at the weekend.
The Prime Minister’s spokeswoman insisted Mrs May had "full confidence" in her colleague and made clear he had not offered his resignation over the diplomatic gaffe made during a conference in Italy.
Mr Johnson said: “There are politicians who are twisting and abusing religion and different strains of the same religion in order to further their own political objectives. That's one of the biggest political problems in the whole region.”
He argued that there were not enough "big characters" in the Middle East, who were willing to "reach out beyond their Sunni or Shia" group.
"That's why you've got the Saudis, Iran, everybody, moving in and puppeteering and playing proxy wars," he added.
The PM’s spokeswoman made clear his remarks reflected his own personal view and not Government policy.
Earlier this week, Mrs May spoke with King Salman during her visit to the Gulf, when he was able to hear the PM assure him of "her commitment and that of her Government to enhancing and strengthening this relationship", explained the spokeswoman.
At Westminster, the Liberal Democrats described Mr Johnson's comments as "a huge embarrassment" to his leader.
"For once Boris Johnson is talking sense but his comments on Saudi's questionable role in Middle Eastern politics are completely at odds with official Government policy," said foreign affairs spokesman Tom Brake.
"This will be a huge embarrassment to May as she returns from her grubby tour of the Gulf, where she did her best to ignore human rights and desperately push trade at all costs," he added.
Alistair Burt, the former Middle East minister, suggested his Conservative colleague would have to "quickly repair" the damage caused by diverging from the Government’s position.
He said that it was very important the Foreign Secretary was seen to speak with the voice of government and that he had to have the “full confidence[of] the Prime Minister and those who work with him need to know that".
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