Boris Johnson faces another attempt to remove him from office after senior Conservatives warned the party was heading for “disaster” after two partial electoral defeats.
The Conservatives lost a majority of 24,239 to Tiverton and Honiton yesterday, the biggest advantage ever to be annulled in a by-election, in addition to ceding the Wakefield red wall seat to Labor. The prime minister then went blind when Oliver Dowden resigned as chairman of his party in the early hours of the morning. In a personal attack on Johnson, Dowden said the government could not continue “business as usual” and that “someone has to take responsibility.”
His resignation sparked concern in the government that other ministers could follow suit before a planned summer reshuffle, and the rebels publicly called for a coup. Said a minister The times: “Oliver clearly saw the writing on the wall and stepped forward. There are about 10-15 ministers that everyone knows are opponents of the prime minister and will not last beyond remodeling. People think that some of them will also go on preventive strikes. “
Sir Ed Davey, Lib Dem leader, and Richard Foord, new Tiverton & Honiton MP, celebrate victory
PAUL CHILD / REUTERS
A cabinet minister said Dowden was leaving to “lead Rishi’s campaign,” a reference to Rishi Sunak, the chancellor. Sunak said yesterday that he was “sad” to see his friend and colleague leave, but added that he was “determined to keep working to cope with the cost of living.”
Johnson downplayed the significance of the defeats, saying ruling parties tend to lose the midterm elections. He said it was “okay” for people to “hit me,” but that he wanted to “keep up the work of delivering.”
However, two former Conservative leaders, Lord Hague of Richmond and Lord Howard of Lympne, said cabinet ministers should pressure Johnson to resign.
Hague told Times Radio that the Conservatives were “potentially heading for disaster” with a “tremendous loss of faith among party activists and voters.”
said Howard The world in one on BBC Radio 4: “The party and, most importantly, the country would be better off under new leadership. Cabinet members should consider their positions very carefully.”
The Conservative rebels are planning a 1922 takeover of the House of Representatives in the next fortnight to allow another attempt to oust Johnson after he won a vote of confidence this month. Steve Baker, the rebel veteran who has called for Johnson’s resignation, is among those expected to run in the 1922 executive election.
Opponents of Johnson are planning a list of candidates sympathetic to the changing rules that prevent another leadership challenge for next year. Loyalists also mobilize to elect members who would block a change.
Baker is said to have rejected calls from the rebels to organize against the prime minister, but last night he urged the cabinet to act against Johnson. “Like so many fund MPs, I am looking for cabinet leadership,” he said.
Letter of resignation from Oliver Dowden
Conservative MPs are increasingly concerned that the tactical vote of Labor and Liberal Democrat supporters could wipe out a majority of Conservatives in the next general election. A YouGov analysis for The times he found that nearly 50 Conservative seats could be lost if Labor and Liberal Democrat supporters voted tactically.
Suella Braverman, the Attorney General, told the BBC: “There is a dishonest electoral pact between the Lib Dems and Labor. This is more worrying.”
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a member of the Cotswolds and treasurer of the 1922 Committee, urged Johnson to shorten his visit to the Commonwealth summit in Rwanda and explained how he planned to resolve the crisis within the party.
Steve Baker has been approached to organize against Johnson
MATT DUNHAM / AP
Behind the story
Typically, events of interest only to political obsessives, the 1922 Conservative Committee of Deputies elections have taken on new importance as a power struggle over the future of Boris Johnson (writes Chris Smyth).
The main role of the committee is for MPs to share their views away from government pressure and convey the sentiment of parliamentarians in the party leadership.
However, his role in overseeing the first stage of a leadership contest means his rules and officers will play a crucial role in whether Johnson stays on Downing Street. Under current rules, the Prime Minister’s victory in this month’s confidence vote means he is safe from another challenge for a year, but the committee’s executive could change that and allow another vote before if there are enough deputies who ask for it.
Elections for the 18-member executive are held after each speech by the Queen with only members of the bench eligible to vote. After 148 MPs opposed Johnson this month, the rebels believe there is a “slim” anti-Johnson majority among MPs. While Sir Graham Brady, the president, is expected to win re-election, other charges will be hotly contested. The committee is divided between Johnson’s critics and supporters.
Nominations are expected to open next week, after which the full list of candidates will be made clear. A vote is likely to take place next week.
Government whips denied they were trying to install a pro-Johnson majority, but loyalists are mobilizing to elect members who would block a change. One MP said, “No matter which side of the argument you’re on, don’t change the rules in the middle of the game.”
Results of by-elections as they happened
Geraldine Scott, Henry Zeffman, Will Humphries, Chris Smyth
Johnson blames the losses on the cost of living
Boris Johnson is in Rwanda for a Commonwealth summit
TIM ROOKE
Johnson deflected a question about whether he was still an electoral asset for his party and said, “I think what people want is a government that focuses 100% on their concerns and not on the political consequences in Westminster.” .
He will not silence speculation about his future, but he often promises to “listen and learn” from the results of by-elections or leadership challenges. “I will not pretend these are brilliant results. When people find it difficult, they send messages to politicians and politicians have to respond,” he said.
“There will still be hard times ahead, no doubt people will keep hitting me and saying this or that to attack me,” he said at a Commonwealth summit in Kigali, Rwanda. “This is good, it is very correct, this is the job of politicians. In the end, the voters, the journalists, have no one else to file their complaints with, I have to take it on. “
Howard: Britain would be better off with a new prime minister
Michael Howard, the former leader of the Conservative Party, has told cabinet members to “consider their positions” as he said Boris Johnson should resign.
Howard, who led the party between 2003 and 2005 in opposition and is now a couple, Lord Howard of Lympne, said World in one on BBC Radio 4: “The party and, most importantly, the country would be better off under new leadership.
“Cabinet members should consider their positions very carefully.”
Come home and fix this mess, PM said
A senior Conservative has told Boris Johnson to return home from Rwanda and deal with the “really serious situation” his party finds itself in so parliamentarians can decide whether to dismiss him or not (writes Geraldine Scott).
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Conservative Committee of Deputies, told Times Radio that Johnson should expose to MPs how he was going to solve the crisis the Conservative Party is in.
“And if we in the party are not satisfied with his explanation, then I think we will trigger a leadership competition,” he said.
“There are two ways to persuade him to resign. One is on the part of the entire 1922 Committee executive, after taking into account the broader views of the entire parliamentary party, then deciding to change the rules. ‘another way is for the majority of the cabinet to say it has no confidence in the prime minister, in which case it could not continue.
“So I think there will be a lot of conversations next week and we’ll have to see what happens.”
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, announcing the result of the vote of confidence
STEFAN ROUSSEAU / PA
Currently, the 1922 Committee rules make it impossible for a Prime Minister to face another challenge for a year after winning a vote of confidence. However, there are suggestions that the rules could be changed.
Clifton-Brown added: “A week or two ago I thought it would continue to lead us to the next election. I think we need to look very seriously now at whether it will be able to fix the problems I have alluded to, or whether we really need to unleash this leadership campaign. “
Elections to be held next month for the 1922 Committee executive could be key to deciding whether a rule change is moving forward.
Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, who had previously sent a letter of censure to the Prime Minister, said he would run in the election with the aim of changing the rules.
He told GB News: “I’m going to put my hat in the ring in a manifesto of rule change. I think [for] All the candidates who will present their name next week for the committee, I have no doubt that the main question is whether you are for or against the rule change. “
Like me, maybe it’s time for Johnson to continue, says the dishonored former MP
The former Conservative MP for Tiverton & Honiton has said that Boris Johnson’s ability to win votes is now “questionable” and that the Prime Minister may have to follow his example and move on with his life (writes Geraldine Scott).
Neil Parish, who resigned after admitting to having seen pornography in parliament, leading to the by-elections that the Conservatives lost to the Liberal Democrats overnight, said he was disappointed that he was no longer the …