Tory leadership race live: Boris Johnson next to launch campaign

The Tory leadership race continues on Wednesday, with front runner Boris Johnson launching his campaign.

Mr Johnson is expected to use his launch to again insist Britain must leave the EU by October 31.

Later, Home Secretary Sajid Javid will set out his stall. He will urge the party to avoid a leader “who feels like the short-term, comfort zone choice”.

Here’s the latest:

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Watch: Who’s who in the Tory leadership race?

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Liz Truss also defended Mr Johnson when asked about his sacking for “lying in public” about an affair, saying: “I do not think the British public is interested in Boris’s personal life.”

Defending the Tory leadership hopeful from accusations that he is refusing to speak to journalists during his campaign for the top job, she said: “He has got nothing to hide.

“This is the parliamentary stage of the process. The important thing is he is talking to parliamentary colleagues.”

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Cabinet minister Liz Truss this morning defended Boris Johnson as a “brilliant” foreign secretary who deserves to be prime minister.

As Mr Johnson prepares to launch his leadership bid, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Ms Truss attempted to bat away a string of criticisms about how he may not be a fit and proper person to hold office.

When the accusation that Mr Johnson was “the worst foreign secretary in living memory” was put to her by the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, she said such attacks were due to his “huge public appeal”.

She added: “His record is of being the most successful mayor of London we have had, of being an excellent foreign secretary who got countries around the world to take action against Russia by expelling their diplomats.”