Johnson's home row fuels debate over his PM credentials

London

REPORTS of a heated late-night row between Boris Johnson and his girlfriend sparked a debate on Sunday about whether it would hurt his campaign to be Britain's next prime minister and the front-runner's suitability for the job.

Polls conducted for the Mail on Sunday newspaper before and after front-page reports of the argument showed that Mr Johnson's lead over rival Jeremy Hunt, the foreign minister, had evaporated among all voters and had narrowed among Conservatives.

Mr Johnson declined to answer questions about the incident at a hustings event in Birmingham, in central England, on Saturday, saying that the audience wanted instead to hear about his plans for Britain three years after the country voted to leave the European Union.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, who is backing Mr Hunt, agreed the reports should not distract from important policy debate in the race to become the next prime minister which will be decided by 160,000 Conservative party members next month.

"I think it's always easier to just give an explanation," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr on Sunday. "But the key thing then is how you get on to the issues; what we can't have is it being a distraction from explanations about wider polices and where we go to and when."

Polling for the Mail on Sunday newspaper showed Mr Johnson was seen as the best prime minister by 36 per cent of all voters on Thursday, while Mr Hunt was supported by 28 per cent. But Mr Johnson had lost the lead on Saturday, with 32 per cent supporting Mr Hunt and 29 per cent Mr Johnson. Among Conservative voters, Mr Johnson's lead fell from 55 per cent to 45 per cent, while Mr Hunt's standing rose from 28 per cent to 34 per cent, the polls conducted by Survation showed.

Police were called to an address in south London where Mr Johnson is living with girlfriend Carrie Symonds in the early hours of Friday morning after neighbours heard a loud altercation. Mr Johnson, 55, is currently divorcing his second wife.

All occupants of the address were spoken to and were all safe and well, police said. REUTERS