Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss has branded anyone critical of leadership hopeful Boris Johnson’s handling of the case of British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s imprisonment in Iran as “apologists” for the regime.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Truss rejected any suggestions that Johnson is to blame for the continuing imprisonment of British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, due to wrongfully asserting that she was training journalists, while he was foreign secretary.
I think this is a complete misplacement of blame. The people who are keeping Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in jail are the Iranians. This is an oppressive Iranian regime – I think it’s apologists for that regime who are putting the blame on Boris Johnson…
Truss also rebuffed accusations that Johnson was the “worst foreign secretary in living memory,” claiming that such attacks were as a result of his “huge public appeal.”
The comments by Truss, who was widely tipped to enter the leadership race before coming out to back Johnson, have left many on social media aghast. One Twitter user asked: “Are they taking drugs for breakfast?” While another claimed Johnson’s intervention aided the Iranians’ case against Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Johnson, the former London mayor, kicks off his Tory leadership campaign on Wednesday, having kept a low profile since entering the race. The favorite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister is sure to receive a grilling over past controversies. A new leader is set to be installed on July 22.
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