Boris Johnson ignores Labour call to apologise to Archbishop

Boris Johnson has ignored a Labour call to apologise to the Archbishop of Canterbury over comments the PM made to a private meeting of Tory MPs.

Mr Johnson reportedly told his MPs that senior clergy had been "less vociferous" in their condemnation of Vladimir Putin than of plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Sir Keir Starmer demanded an apology at Prime Minister's Questions.

The PM said the Rwanda policy was an attempt to save lives in the Channel.

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In his Easter Sunday sermon, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the policy of sending some asylum seekers who arrive in the UK illegally to Rwanda cannot "stand the judgment of God".

'Ethical grounds'

Mr Johnson accused "senior members of the clergy" and the BBC of misconstruing the policy in a speech to Tory MPs on Tuesday evening.

The PM was attempting to rally support from his MPs after his Commons apology over being fined by the police for breaking Covid laws.

He suggested, in an aside, that the clergy had been less vociferous in condemning Vladimir Putin, according to No 10 sources.

Mr Welby and the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said in a statement issued by Lambeth Palace that they would continue to oppose the policy on "moral and ethical grounds".

The two senior clergymen had denounced the invasion of Ukraine as "an act of great evil" and had called for Russian troops to withdraw, the statement added.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of not being sincere in his apology for breaking Covid rules at his birthday party in June 2020.

As soon as he was off camera, the PM had gone back to "blaming everyone else" he said, adding: "Would the prime minister like to take this opportunity to apologise for slandering the Archbishop and the Church of England?"

BBC row

Mr Johnson said he was surprised to be attacked over a policy that had been devised to "end the deaths at sea in the Channel as a result of cruel criminal gangs" and had, he claimed, been first devised in 2004 by [then Labour home secretary] David Blunkett.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Mr Johnson should resign because he "can't be trusted with the truth".

Mr Johnson and the Labour leader also clashed over reports that Mr Johnson had criticised the BBC's coverage of the war in Ukraine in his speech to MPs.

Sir Keir accused the PM of opting to "slander decent people" in private but lacking the "backbone to repeat it in public".

He said: "The prime minister also accused the BBC of not being critical enough of Putin.

"Would the prime minister have the guts to say that to the face of [BBC reporters] Clive Myrie, Lyse Doucet and Steve Rosenberg, who have all risked their lives day in, day out on the frontline in Russia and Ukraine uncovering Putin's barbarism?"

Mr Johnson replied: "I said nothing of the kind and I have the highest admiration as a former journalist for what journalists do. I think they do an outstanding job. I think he should withdraw what he just said - it has absolutely no basis or foundation in truth."

After PMQs, Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden said Sir Keir had no evidence for his claim that the PM had accused the BBC of not being critical enough of President Putin, and called on the Labour leader to apologise for the comments.

In a letter to Sir Keir, Mr Dowden said the prime minister had a "long track record of supporting the free press and the BBC, particularly with regards to their coverage of the conflict in Ukraine".

"I call on you to retract your comments and apologise to the prime minister and the House," he added.

MPs will vote on Thursday whether to ask the Privileges Committee to consider whether Mr Johnson misled them on at least four occasions over the Partygate row, and is therefore in contempt of Parliament.

Tory MPs are expected to be ordered to oppose the Labour-led cross-party motion on Thursday, although the prime minister will not vote on it as he will be on an official visit to India.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Conservative MPs should think carefully before voting to block an investigation into Boris Johnson's lies.

"The public won't stomach another Conservative stitch-up that drags our democracy through the mud just to protect one of their own."