Conservative lawmakers were turning tough against Boris Johnson on Tuesday night, with open talk about how to remove the prime minister and who would be his successor, as he gave. destructive interview Claiming not to lie at Downing Street parties.
A group of Tory MPs from various ranks and wings of the party said they believed there would be enough letters to launch a leadership contest following the publication of the Sue Gray Report on allegations of lockdown violations.
Johnson was trying to shore up his support in the parliamentary party, as it emerged a group of a dozen or so 2019 met in Alicia Kearns’ office to discuss his future as prime minister.
After the meeting – dubbed “Pork Pie Puts” in the constituency of Kearns as Melton Mowbray – an MP said there were about 20 letters, “some sent, some in draft”. 54 letters need to be submitted to trigger a confidence ballot against the prime minister, who met some freshmen on Tuesday evening.
With lawmakers plotting his demise, Johnson emerged from isolation at No. 10 to save himself Dominic Cummings, his former aide claims, that he lied to Parliament that earlier in the lockdown believing a Garden Party was a work program.
The Prime Minister stated that “no one warned him” that the 20 May 2020 “Bring Your Own Wine” party he attended with 30-40 employees was against the rules, and confirmed that he had asked Gray to do so. He gave an account of his events.
He told Sky News, “I can’t believe we go ahead with an incident that people said was against the rules…
But Cummings claimed that two officials warned the prime minister against organizing the party. It is understood the former colleague will also be interviewed by the Gray Inquiry, which is expected to be reported in the coming week.
In his interviews, Johnson has refused to resign several times and some Tory lawmakers believe he may have agreed to step down rather than go through a parliamentary party’s confidence ballot.
Tory lawmakers said colleagues believed Johnson was more likely not to face a trust vote, perhaps after the Gray Report was published.
One frontbencher said: “The mood has changed dramatically. He’s in real trouble. And it’s not just the people of 2019 who are panicking about their seats. It’s the cool old co-workers. Until reports come out something startling.” Not saying well, we will have a challenge ahead of us.”
Another Tory MP said: “This is the terminal. it’s turned red hot rage [a] The cold, calculative meaning of ‘how do we do it? And who are we supporting?’ … it’s a question of when, what not.
“Letters are coming in from the left and from the right, from Brexites and remnants, because what is slowly coming at people is that there is no policy issue; it is a mindset, a methodology and a culture that needs to change. “
Christian Wakeford, the 2019-Intake MP, became the seventh Tory to reveal he had submitted a no-confidence vote on Tuesday.
While Tory lawmakers said other letters were being prepared and saved as draft emails, some rebels urged aides not to submit them to the 1922 committee before the Gray’s Report because Johnson was too early. The held votes could have won.
A Tory lawmaker insisted that Johnson “won’t win a vote of no confidence because there is no incentive to support him”. “With Theresa” [May], he had people who were afraid of what might happen next. They don’t have it,” he added: “It’s a disaster if it’s triggered before the report comes out, it will be conducted immediately and then people won’t want to be the judge before the evidence is finalized.”
The Tories said parliament was talking about possible leadership campaigns, including the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, who is believed to have the fastest operation ever, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who is in Australia.
Other names being discussed include Sajid Javid, Nadim Zahavi and Penny Mordant, while there are also potential candidates for the lockdown-skeptical right, such as Mark Harper, Steve Baker and Esther McVey.
Former health secretary and Johnson’s former rival for leadership, Jeremy Hunt, has Interview He told PoliticsHome that his “ambition has not completely disappeared” although claiming that “it will take me a long time to convince me to take off my hat in the ring”.
Sunak gave only deserved support for the prime minister, saying he believed in his interpretation of events. But when asked whether the prime minister should resign over lying to parliament, Sunak said: “I’m not going to be hypothetical, the ministerial code on these matters is clear.” He then dropped out of the interview because he was being asked whether he had clear support for Johnson.
The backlash against Johnson is partly driven by public anger that Tory lawmakers heard in their constituencies over the weekend. One said the workers are refusing to give pamphlets for the upcoming local elections because they are so demoralised. Several MPs also indicated in letters to their constituents that the Prime Minister would not be able to survive in his job.
Sir Charles Walker, the former deputy chairman of the 1922 committee, wrote to a constituent, saying: “The Prime Minister and the party are badly damaged in the eyes of the electorate. It remains to be seen whether this situation can be recovered.”
Johnson, who will face a tough prime ministerial question on Wednesday, seeks to change the national conversation by announcing the end of Plan B COVID measures.
However, Keir Starmer is expected to stick to Johnson’s plight over gatherings at Number 10 during the lockdown. In an interview with the Guardian’s G2, Starmer drilled into Johnson’s claims that he was unaware of the parties at No.
“Johnson is now on his third defense. His first defense when we chatted with him in early December was: ‘I’ve been assured there was no side,’ and his second defense when the video surfaced was: ‘I’m angry that these are parties; I just found out.’ And if the third defense is true, then obviously the first two are false – and that’s a big problem for him.”
Lawmakers said they still do not believe Johnson is aware enough of the danger he is in. Aides of the prime minister, including Conor Burns and James Dudridge, asked Johnson over the weekend if they could help with the whipping operation on his behalf, one said. Didn’t take it seriously till the moment.” “No charm on his part has been offensive. The whip has done nothing.”