Sacked Boris 'will bounce back'

Friends say Mr Johnson's political career is 'far from over'

Tory MP Boris Johnson's political career is not over despite his sacking from the post of shadow arts minister, his friends and father have said.

Mr Johnson, who edits the Spectator magazine, was sacked by Tory leader Michael Howard for lying about claims he had an affair with a columnist.

Tory Defence spokesman Nicholas Soames said he would "dust himself down" and his father vowed "this is not the end".

The Henley MP denied lying to Mr Howard over the alleged affair.

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Leaving his family home on Monday morning, Mr Johnson told waiting journalists: "I did not mislead Michael Howard."

Mr Johnson's constituency association is standing by the MP.

There is one thing you can be quite certain of - this is not the end of his political career Boris Johnson's father, Stanley Profile: Boris Johnson Analysis: Fate was sealed

Speaking on Sky TV, Mr Soames declined to endorse party leader Michael Howard's decision to sack his "great personal friend".

He said: "I'm very, very sad and sorry for Boris. It is a very bad moment.

"But don't let's forget this is one of the most brilliant and amusing and interesting men of his generation.

"All I can say is Boris's political days are certainly not over. He will dust himself down and crack on."

Mr Howard (l) with Mr Johnson (r) at The Spectator Awards this week

'Not the end'

Mr Johnson's father and prospective Tory candidate, Stanley, said: "There is one thing you can be quite certain of - this is not the end of his political career."

David Crossman, chair of the South Oxfordshire Conservative Association, said in a statement: "This does not affect his position as our Member of Parliament.

"He has proved in the short time he has been here to be a first class constituency Member of Parliament.

"We hope he will continue to represent us for many years to come."

But most senior Tory figures backed the sacking.

Deputy leader Michael Ancram told the BBC: "Where Boris was less than frank, that was what could not be sustained. In the end Michael, when he realised Boris had not been frank with him, had to let him go."

Family issues spokeswoman Theresa May said Mr Howard had "done the right thing".

Affair claims

Tremendous, little short of superb. On cracking form Boris Johnson, when asked on Sunday how he was feeling

Married father-of-four Mr Johnson has also been dismissed as party vice-chairman.

Last week he dismissed claims in a Sunday newspaper that he had an affair with Spectator columnist Petronella Wyatt.

Mr Howard sacked Mr Johnson by telephone on Saturday afternoon amid fresh revelations in at least two Sunday newspapers.

Asked how he was feeling as he arrived at a house in north London on Sunday, Mr Johnson said: "Tremendous, little short of superb. On cracking form."

Mr Johnson and wife Marina Wheeler have four children

He had earlier told the Sunday Telegraph: "It is a wretched and lamentable day when people's private lives become used in political machinations."

Mr Johnson was embroiled in controversy last month when a Spectator editorial accused Liverpudlians of wallowing in grief over the murder in Iraq of engineer Ken Bigley.

That incident had led him to decide to quit the shadow frontbench, the Guardian reported.

The furore surrounding the editorial had convinced him that he could not be both a shadow minister and Spectator editor, the paper said.

But he decided he would not resign if it would be seen as "bowing to tabloid pressure", forcing Mr Howard to sack him, it reported.