Boris Johnson is taking the Tory party into a “very ugly place” and should resign, according to a senior Conservative MP who has revealed that he no longer has confidence in the Prime Minister.
Senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood said Johnson has lost his support and he will be submitting a letter of no confidence to the 1922 Committee.
In a fresh blow to Johnson, the chair of the Defence Select Committee, said the partygate scandal left Tory MPs in a “horrible position” of having to defend Johnson’s rulebreaking.
He said: “I don’t think the Prime Minister realises how worried colleagues are in every corner of the party, backbenchers and ministers alike, that this is all only going one way and will invariably slide towards a very ugly place.”
Elwood added: “I believe it’s time for the Prime Minister to take a grip of this; he himself should call a vote of confidence rather than waiting for the inevitable 54 letters to be eventually submitted."
“It’s time to resolve this completely so the party can get back to governing, and, yes, I know the next question you will ask, I will be submitting my letter today to the 1922 Committee.”
He also questioned the Prime Minister's judgement in repeating a slur about failing to prosecute JImmy Savile against Labour leader Keir Starmer.
Elwood added: “And attacking this week Keir Starmer with Jimmy Savile… I mean who advised the Prime Minister to say this? We’re better than this, we must seek to improve our standards and rise above where we are today.”
Earlier, Northern Ireland Select Committee chairman and North Dorset Tory MP Simon Hoare also called for the Jimmy Savile remarks to be withdrawn.
The move came amid reports that Johnson attended a boozy leaving do for one of his senior advisors when the country was in lockdown last January.
The Prime Minister went to the Downing Street gathering on January 14 2021 while the country was under orders to stay at home.
This event was listed in Sue Gray’s partial report into Downing Street parties but the details of who attended were redacted.
Some Downing Street staff who attended were said to have downed prosecco with the PM who is understood to have stayed for five minutes, according to the Guardian newspaper.
Ellwood is the eleventh Tory MP to publicly call on Johnson to go along with Douglas Ross, Caroline Nokes, Andrew Bridgen, David Davis, Andrew Mitchell and others.
Veteran Tory MP Charles Walker has also called on the PM to consider his position.
If the backbench 1922 Committee receives 54 letters of no confidence from Conservative MPs, it would trigger no-confidence vote that could lead to a leadership contest.
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