Boris Johnson ruled out a snap General Election but was fighting on in No10 as his premiership was hit by a flood of Government resignations on Wednesday.
After repeated questioning at the Commons Liaison Committee, Mr Johnson appeared to confirm he would not trigger an election to try to stay in office.
The Prime Minister said “of course, I rule it out”, before adding: “The earliest date that I can see for a General Election is two years from now or 2024, I think it is the most likely date for the next election.
“We have a huge amount to deliver. We are going to get on and do it.”
During his grilling by senior MPs, he gave no sign that he was planning on resigning.
But afterwards a delegation of Cabinet ministers, including Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, went to Downing Street to urge him to stand down.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, as well as reportedly Home Secretary Priti Patel, were also at No10, sparking speculation that some ministers were still fighting to defend him.
But Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, was also seen heading into 70 Whitehall, the Cabinet Office that connects to Downing Street, sparking speculation that he may be warning Mr Johnson of the scale of the revolt against him.
More than 30 ministers, parliamentary aides and Government envoys have resigned in around just 24 hours.
Earlier, Mr Johnson’s newly-appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi was rushed out onto the airwaves early this morning, less than 12 hours after being promoted to the Treasury, to defend the Prime Minister.
He signalled more tax cuts were on the way — as being demanded by Tory MPs.
But the mood at Westminster was frenzied with more and more resignations and Conservative MPs calling for Mr Johnson to go.
Five high profile government ministers resigned with a letter published on Wednesday afternoon, just 30 minutes before the PM was due in front of the Liaison Committee.
In a joint letter equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, media minister Julia Lopez, housing minister Neil O’Brien, business minister Lee Rowley and education minister Alex Burghart all quit their posts.
But the Prime Minister remained defiant throughout the day.
He was reported to have told friends: “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to smash on and deliver for the people who gave us a massive mandate.” He is said to have added: “Everyone just needs to calm down, stop bickering and let us get on with the job in hand.”
However, shortly after 8.30am this morning, Will Quince quit as children and families minister. He said he had “no choice” but to resign after he appeared on television to defend Mr Johnson over the Chris Pincher “groping” scandal using Downing Street briefings “which have now been found to be inaccurate”.
Around an hour later, school standards minister Robin Walker also stood down saying that “recent events have made it clear to me that our great party, for which I have campaigned all of my adult life, has become distracted from its core missions by a relentless focus on questions over leadership”.
Housing minister Stuart Andrew became the sixth minister to quit on Wednesday after as support was ebbing away from Boris Johnson.
He said he had “no other choice than to resign”.
But perhaps more worrying for Mr Johnson was that Harlow MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons education committee, and Ashfield MP Lee Anderson withdrew their support from the Prime Minister.
Mr Halfon said: “The parties at No10 Downing Street were bad enough but the appointment of this individual (Mr Pincher as deputy chief whip) and the untruthful statement about what was known is unacceptable to me.”
Mr Anderson said: “It is my belief that our PM has got all the big decisions right… and I have always backed him to the hilt. That said, integrity should always come first and sadly this has not been the case over the past few days.”
City minister John Glen also resigned, as did justice minister Victoria Atkins. She said: “Values such as integrity, decency, respect and professionalism should matter to us all. I have watched with growing concern as those values have fractured under your leadership.”
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt, seen as an ultra-loyal supporter of Mr Johnson, said he had submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister.
He added: “Under the Prime Minister’s leadership it is becoming increasingly difficult for both the Government and us as parliamentarians to focus on these key issues and achieve our full potential in delivering for the British people. There is no good in blaming sections of the media for the situation we find ourselves in. They’ve been giving the ammunition time and time again.”
Kensington MP Felicity Buchan quit as Business parliamentary private secretary saying the PM had lost the confidence of “my constituents and me”.
James Forsyth, political editor of The Spectator, tweeted: “One senior figure on the ‘22 [committee] tells me that they now favour a delegation going to tell Boris Johnson that it is over, and that they’ll change the rules if he won’t resign.”
Sevenoaks MP Laura Trott also quit as a parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Transport.
Former universities minister Chris Skidmore publicly shared his letter of no confidence in the PM for the first time. Their moves came after the double resignations of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday. Mr Johnson faced Prime Minister’s Questions followed by a session before the Commons Liaison Committee, where he was set to be grilled on various subjects.
Mr Javid was also expected to deliver a personal statement in the Commons , laying out the reasons for his departure. Long-serving MPs recalled Geoffrey Howe’s devastating resignation statement in 1990 which helped topple Margaret Thatcher. However, the Cabinet resignations did not trigger a slew of other ministers to walk out.
Mr Zahawi said he believed the Prime Minister has integrity and stressed: “I will be working very hard to make sure that this team continues to deliver. The Prime Minister is focused on delivery, delivery, delivery.” He added that Mr Johnson was “right to apologise” over his appointment of Mr Pincher to deputy chief whip, adding that decisions were made at “warp speed” in government.
But former Tory leader Lord Hague told Times Radio: “I think it’s over. It’s reading the last rites — slowly. Unfortunately Boris still isn’t accepting that this really is over, but it is.” Mr Zahawi denied that he threatened to resign from the Cabinet in order to secure the Chancellor role. He told Sky News: “No, I didn’t threaten to resign at all.” Put to him that Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was reportedly in line for Chancellor, but Mr Zahawi said he would step down if he did not get the job, he said: “That is not true.” He warned colleagues that “people don’t vote for divided teams”, when asked about Mr Quince’s resignation.
Pressed why his predecessor, Mr Sunak, had resigned, he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “You can read his letter... I am focused on rebuilding the economy.”
Events appeared to be moving at dizzying speed at Westminster. Andrew Murrison, who quit as a government trade envoy, on Tuesday, told LBC Radio: “I am not going to give a timeline on it. Certainly I think a lot of it at the moment, the immediate future, depends on how many ministerial colleagues decide enough is enough. To them I would say think very carefully, because every day you remain in office you are associated with what has been going on in No10 and all the problems that have come to light.”
Mr Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip after he was accused of drunkenly groping two men at the Carlton Club last Wednesday. The Tamworth MP admitted that he had “embarrassed myself and other people” but denied sexual harassment.
The liaison committee meeting was a bruising encounter, made somewhat surreal by the fact that the Prime Minister was quizzed for the first half of the session on day-to-day Government policy even as further Conservative MPs called for him to quit.
When it turned to the issue of the Prime Minister’s leadership, both Labour and Conservative MPs pulled few punches.
William Wragg, a Tory MP and fierce Johnson critic, asked the Prime Minister: "At which point does it become impossible for the Queen’s government to be continued?"
Mr Johnson replied: "I really think you are underestimating the talent, energy and sheer ambition of Members of Parliament, and they want to get things done.
"The Government of this country is continuing with ever-increasing energy."
Mr Wragg told him that even more Tories had resigned in the time Mr Johnson had faced the committee, and asked whether he thought there was sufficient supply "of those young thrusters on the back benches" to replace them.
Mr Johnson said: "I think it highly likely, yes.
"Maybe we are all deluded in our ambitions, but I think most people who come to this place - in spite of what everybody says about MPs - are actuated by the highest motives."
He repeatedly stressed that he had a mandate from the 2019 general election to lead the country.
"I look at the biggest war in Europe for 80 years and I can’t for the life of me see how it is responsible just to walk away from that. Particularly not when you have a mandate of the kind that we won two, three years ago,” he said.
The controversy over Mr Pincher inevitably dominated proceedings.
The Prime Minister acknowledged he had previously been informed of allegations against Mr Pincher dating back to 2019, and said he regretted keeping him in Government beyond that point.
At one stage, Mr Johnson failed to deny whether he had used the words: "Pincher by name, Pincher by nature".
Labour MP Chris Bryant, chairman of the Commons Standards Committee went on: "That sounds like a yes to me. Did you say he is a bit handsy?"
Mr Johnson insisted "it’s not a word I use".
When asked if he ever said "Pincher by name, Pincher by nature", the PM said: "I’m not going to get into some trivialising discussion of what I may or may not have said. This is a serious matter.
"The member has had, I believe, a complaint made against him. And that is where I propose to leave it."
Asked about the culture in Westminster, he said: "I have given this a lot of thought and I do think there is a problem with alcohol, and I have always resisted this conclusion in the past.
"But it feels to me that some people simply cannot take their drink and we need to think how we work that in Parliament."
He added: "There is also an issue about standards of behaviour. I should have been more stringent in my approach."
The Prime Minister repeatedly said that he did not foresee an early election.
He added: "The earliest date that I can see for a general election is two years from now or 2024, I think it is the most likely date for the next election.
"We have a huge amount to deliver. We are going to get on and do it."
