Boris Johnson: I had issues with some of PM's actions - Simon Hart

Simon Hart: "This is a guy who gave me a job I loved"

Ex-Welsh secretary Simon Hart has said "of course" he had issues with standards and some things said and done when Boris Johnson was prime minister.

Mr Hart was one of a handful of cabinet ministers who went to Downing Street last week to tell the prime minister to stand down, before resigning himself.

"It was very good natured and I had one of the best conversation I've had with Boris," he told BBC Wales.

Mr Hart spoke for the first time since Mr Johnson's resignation last Thursday.

"Nobody is perfect, mistakes were made, people make misjudgements, although I don't think they should necessarily be punished by losing their jobs," he said.

"Equally we have professional standards to uphold and I think actually most MPs do their level best to uphold them, but occasionally we fall short."

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Mr Hart described what it was like when he went into Downing Street to speak to the prime minister.

"Contrary to what people might have read about it it was actually in sadness rather than in anger.

"It was very good natured and I had one of the best conversations I've had with Boris."

Mr Hart said it was the most difficult political decision he had had to make.

"This is a guy who gave me a job I loved," he said.

"You don't walk into your boss's office and tell him that he basically needs to leave without a considerable amount of agony. I defy anybody to derive any pleasure from that."