UK foreign secretary Liz Truss offered her "100 percent" support for embattled Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson on Friday, backing him to remain in office "as long as possible."
Truss -- who has been tipped as a front-runner to replace Johnson -- said she believed the 57-year-old Tory leader was doing an "excellent job."
A defiant Johnson is fighting calls from within his own party to resign following revelations that Downing Street staff partied while the rest of the country was in strict Covid lockdown.
"The prime minister has my 100 percent support. He is doing an excellent job," Truss said at a press conference with Australian counterparts in Sydney.
"I want the prime minister to continue as long as possible in his job. He is doing a fantastic job. There is no leadership election," she insisted.
"The prime minister apologised and said mistakes were made."
Truss dodged questions about new allegations that Johnson's aides had blackmailed and threatened party members to ensure their backing.
"As you will appreciate, I have spent the last 48 hours here in Australia," she said. "I do not have any information about what is happening on the subject you raised."
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During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)