Boris Johnson stresses loyalty to UK PM May in leaked text - ITV

British foreign minister Boris Johnson has urged Conservative Party lawmakers to give Prime Minister Theresa May their full support in a group text message, ITV reported on Sunday.

British newspapers have been awash with speculation that Johnson will soon mount a leadership challenge after May gambled away a parliamentary majority in an election she did not need to call.

"Folks we need to calm down and get behind the prime minister," Johnson said, according to a screenshot of a WhatsApp group text message to Conservative lawmakers posted by an ITV news reporter on Twitter. The screenshot could not be immediately authenticated by Reuters.

Johnson added the Conservatives needed to think about lessons from the election, but not via newspapers.

"The pm (prime minister) is a woman of extraordinary qualities and frankly the public are looking to us to get behind her with discipline and determination," Johnson said.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)