Boris Johnson heckled during leadership hustings event

Conservative Party leadership candidate Boris Johnson was heckled during a hustings event as he tried to defend his involvement in the resignation of former UK ambassador to the US Sir Kim Darroch.

Johnson's lack of explicit support for the envoy in Tuesday's TV leadership debate following a tirade of abuse from US President Donald Trump was widely seen as the final straw in his decision to quit.

At the Cheltenham hustings Johnson was asked by host Iain Dale whether he regretted his response.

He replied: "Well I think it would have been better if the whole subject had never come up".

An audience member then shouted "answer the bloody question" to Johnson, sparking applause from the crowd.

The Conservative frontrunner responded "that's the first heckle we've had in the hustings isn't it?"

The heckler was later revealed to be a 74-year-old man from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, though he declined to give his name.