William Hague has dismissed claims he has lost his “mojo” and is ready to resign as foreign secretary in the wake of the bungled MI6 and SAS mission in Libya.
Mr Hague remains under fire for his handling of the Libyan crisis, including his personal involvement in the botched operation to make contact with rebel forces in Saluk, 30 miles south on Benghazi, on March 4.
He has also faced criticism for the uncertainty over the government’s position on the imposition of a no-fly zone, the slow start to the evacuation of British nationals and his mistaken suggestion that Colonel Muammar Gadaffi had fled to Venezuela.
But Mr Hague insisted in The Sunday Telegraph today that he still had an appetite for front-line politics and sought to end speculation about his future.
He said: “If some of the people who write about mojo came with me for a week, they would drop dead on their feet.
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“The Prime Minister is extremely supportive [of me] and so are the vast majority of Conservative MPs. People had better get used to the idea.”
The SAS is facing a serious security breach after Libyan rebels discovered that soldiers captured during the bungled operation were carrying on scraps of paper usernames and passwords for secret computer systems, The Sunday Times revealed today.
Mr Hague was fully briefed on the details of the MI6 mission, which aimed to establish secure communications with the rebels, and was in telephone contact with Abdul Fattah Younis, a former Libyan minister who has defected from Gadaffi’s regime.
Earlier this week, senior Liberal Democrat Sir Menzies Campbell openly questioned Mr Hague’s commitment to his job as Foreign Secretary.
He said: “I am not sure just how enthusiastic he is about this business.
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“It is very, very hard... It is a very, very demanding job.”
Mr Hague later fuelled speculation when he said, after being challenged about his commitment, that he would remain in the job for “an extended period of time”.
He said: “These are historic and momentous events that are taking place.
“I say to you very seriously that all of us who have taken on the job of shouldering responsibilities at this time will see those responsibilities through for an extended period of time in the face of any criticism or setbacks.”
Asked whether Mr Hague’s position in government was under threat, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Cameron, who is said to be privately furious about the SAS operation, was not planning a cabinet reshuffle “any time soon".