Boris Johnson plane makes emergency landing after 'technical issue'

A small military aircraft carrying newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has had to make an emergency landing on its way to Brussels.

The plane, which took off from RAF Northolt, was forced to land at Luton Airport following a "technical issue", a Foreign Office spokesman said.

Mr Johnson thanked the crew for their professionalism and was grateful to Luton Airport for the unscheduled welcome, the spokesman added.

He has now continued his journey.

The delay means Mr Johnson will be late for an informal dinner with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, but the pair intend to meet later in the evening, the BBC understands.

A spokesman for Luton Airport said all 16 passengers on board the plane left the aircraft safely, but the runway was disrupted for more than 30 minutes.

"Several scheduled flights were disrupted whilst the runway was cleared," he added.