London Mayor Boris Johnson has been forced to cancel most of his planned meetings in the West Bank today because of security concerns arising from his strident criticism of boycotters , including his attack on the Palestinian group that banned a JC journalist from their meeting with the mayor.

Mr Johnson had said he was "exasperated" by the refusal of the Palestine Business Women's Forum to allow Noga Tarnopolsky to join their meeting with the mayor and made his disapproval known to the West Bank-based group.

Mr Johnson later told Ms Tarnopolsky: "It's very sad that you can't come in. Obviously if we get in I will be raising it."

The cancellations followed threats of protests by social media activists unhappy that the mayor had dismissed BDS leaders as “ridiculous, snaggle-toothed corduroy-wearing lefty academics” in an earlier speech.

Those who endorsed it were "foolish" and in a "very small minority", he said.

The only event to survive the cancellations was Mr Johnson’s meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, who banned journalists from attending.