William Hague insisted that he was committed to his job for “an extended period of time” as he sought to dismiss claims that he had lost his desire to be on the big stage.
The Foreign Secretary said it was his responsibility to see through the crisis in Libya and the “momentous events” taking place in the Middle East.
After being accused by Labour of bungling the Government’s response to Libya, Mr Hague was the victim of “friendly fire” on Monday night when Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader and foreign affairs guru, questioned his stomach for the job.
“I’m not sure just how enthusiastic he is about this business,” he told BBC2’s Newsnight. “I mean it is very, very tough.”
He used a press conference at the Foreign Office yesterday to reject the suggestion that he was struggling. Standing alongside Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, he said: “These are historic and momentous events that are taking place.
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“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. That is certainly how I feel about it.”