No 10 distances itself from Boris Johnson's US tour comments

Boris Johnson is not speaking for the Government on his high-profile trip to Washington DC, Downing Street has insisted.

No 10 has sought to draw a clear line between Rishi Sunak and the former prime minister as Mr Johnson, whose allies are pushing for his political comeback, engages in a series of meetings with senior political figures Stateside.

He has used his trip to the US capital to pile pressure on Western leaders to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, a move that the UK has so far repeatedly ruled out, citing issues of practicality.

Mr Johnson said that Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, should be given all the equipment he needs, and rejected the idea that Vladimir Putin could be prepared to turn the war into a nuclear conflict.

However, Downing Street has since doubled down on its position that it is “currently not practical to send UK jets”, maintaining Mr Johnson is “acting in his own capacity” on his visit.

While Mr Sunak is “pleased” that the former leader is “continuing his staunch support” for the UK’s efforts to help secure peace, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that Mr Johnson does not speak for the UK Government.

Mr Johnson has spent his trip engaging in talks with several prominent Republican figures across the Atlantic, sharing snapshots of meetings with Kevin McCarthy, the new House Speaker; Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader; and senators Lindsey Graham and Rick Scott.

He also met Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US.

The latest exchange risks exacerbating tensions between Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak, who have a tumultuous history.

They were only recently leading the country together, presenting a united front as they sought to navigate Britain through the Covid pandemic.

However, their alliance came crashing down last summer when Mr Sunak resigned over standards in government at the height of the Chris Pincher affair, among other scandals, triggering an exodus of ministers that ultimately culminated in Mr Johnson’s resignation.

The two risked coming to blows again when Liz Truss’s whirlwind premiership came to an abrupt end last October, leaving the door ajar for Mr Johnson to make a swift comeback.

If the former prime minister had decided to formally throw his name in the hat for a second stab at the job, he would have gone head-to-head against Mr Sunak in a deciding vote by Tory members.

However, his decision to pull out of the race at the last minute cleared the path for the former chancellor to seize the keys to No 10.

Even as his chancellor, Mr Sunak did not always see eye-to-eye with Mr Johnson. He was often seen in the Cabinet as fiscally conservative and a restraining influence on the former prime minister’s spending ambitions.

Asked about Mr Johnson’s trip to the US, Mr Sunak’s spokesman said: “The Prime Minister welcomes all colleagues’ backing for Ukraine and is pleased the former prime minister is continuing his staunch support of the United Kingdom’s efforts to help Ukraine secure a lasting peace.”

However, he said that Mr Johnson is “acting in his own capacity and not on behalf of the UK Government”.

On Mr Johnson’s call to send fighter jets, the spokesman said: “It’s currently not practical to send UK jets. We will continue to work closely with the Ukrainians to understand their needs and how allies can further support them.

“Given the complexity of UK fighter jets and the length of time required to train them, we do not currently think it is practical to do so.”