Boris Johnson said there are many reasons for “admiring Trump”, as he refused to personally condemn the US president’s caging of migrant children at the US border.

The foreign secretary pointed to Mr Trump’s bombing of Syria, after its use of chemical weapons, his attempts to secure peace with North Korea and his pressure on EU countries to boost defence spending.

The praise came as Mr Johnson claimed that Theresa May’s criticism of the practice of separating children from their parents at the US-Mexican border had forced Mr Trump into his U-turn.

“No sooner had she spoken than the president signed an executive order repealing the policy,” Mr Johnson told MPs at a stormy Foreign Office questions.

But the foreign secretary came under fire for failing to criticise the hardline immigration himself, merely saying that the prime minister “spoke for me”.

Drew Hendry, an SNP MP who challenged him to speak out, tweeted afterwards: “Boris Johnson cannot bring himself to personally condemn Trump’s policy of separating children from their parents and putting them in cages. Instead he palms it off to the PM.”

Mr Johnson also insisted the British public wanted to “extend the hand of friendship” and supported the president’s controversial visit to the UK next month.

Boris Johnson does not deny saying f*ck business at House of Commons

And he came close to admitting the allegation that he said “f*** business” when asked about company bosses speaking about chaotic preparations for Brexit.

‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy Show all 8 1 /8 ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy Mishawaka, Indiana AP ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy Washington DC AFP/Getty Images ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy New York Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks in Tornillo, Texas alongside the many other US mayors who have called for detained immigrant children to be reunited with their families AP ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy Albuquerque Mayor Tim Kelle leaves a teddy bear as a gift for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti leave sandals as gifts for detained immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas AP ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy US embassy, Mexico City AFP/Getty Images ‘Families belong together’ protests over Trump immigration policy San Diego, California EPA

“It may be that, from time to time, I express scepticism about those professing to speak up for business,” he told MPs.

Earlier this month, Mr Johnson told a Tory gathering that he had grown “increasingly admiring” of Mr Trump, suggesting the president would handle Brexit talks better than the prime minister.

Asked to give his reasons, he said confronting President Assad in Syria was an “admirable thing”, as was the attempt to “solve the problem of a nuclear armed North Korea”.

Mr Johnson also backed Mr Trump’s fierce criticism of low EU defence spending, adding: “We certainly will be assisting in that effort.”

But Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, said: “We have a president like Donald Trump who bans Muslims and supports Nazis, who stokes conflict and fuels climate change, who abuses women and cages children.

“That is not a record to be admired – that is a record to be abhorred.”

Ms Thornberry also mocked Mr Johnson for missing Monday night’s Heathrow vote – despite once vowing to “lie down in front of the bulldozers” to stop the expansion.

“Four years ago he was asked the biggest lesson that he had learned from his supposed hero Winston Churchill, and his answer was, I quote, ‘never give in, never give in, never give in’,” she said.

“For some reason, Churchill didn’t add ‘unless you can catch a plane to Kabul’.”

Last week, asked about the scenes at the US border, Ms May told MPs: “The pictures of children being held in what appear to be cages are deeply disturbing. This is wrong.”