Manchester United legend Gary Neville has urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to follow in Oliver Dowden's footsteps and resign from the Tory government.
The Conservatives were thumped in the Tiverton & Honiton and Wakefield by-elections as pressure grows on Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Dowden resigned as Co-Chair of the party on Friday morning, insisting "somebody must take responsibility" for two significant defeats.
The Liberal Democrats won the Tiverton & Honiton seat by more than 6,000 votes - a remarkable result considering the Tories previously boasted a 24,239 majority. Elsewhere, Labour comfortably reclaimed the Wakefield seat they lost at the general election in 2019.
"Come on Rishi Sunak, step down now and take him [Johnson] out," Neville posted on Twitter. The ex-footballer went on to write: "It's hurting you and your reputation living and being next to him so much it's untrue. Today's the day."
But Sunak shows no signs of stepping down. "I’m sad that my colleague and friend Oliver Dowden took the decision to resign this morning," the Chancellor tweeted. "We all take responsibility for the results and I’m determined to continue working to tackle the cost of living, including delivering NICs changes saving 30 million people on average £330."
Neville, a Labour member, was unimpressed with Sunak's tweet, responding: "Do the decent thing FFS! I had hope for you once upon a time."
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The Tories' by-election results follow the Partygate scandal, which saw several individuals connected to the party - including Johnson and Sunak - fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending gatherings during lockdown. A total of 126 fines were issued.
Johnson's cabinet is also struggling to deal with the cost of living crisis - as prices soar throughout the country - and the ongoing transport disruptions. The Tories were hammered in last month's local elections, losing control of 11 councils.
"He's [Johnson] a liability to us all and willing to take everyone down including his own MPs," tweeted Neville. "He will say something daft in Rwanda [the country he is currently visiting] to distract us. The tiresome game he's playing is coming to an end, though."
Neville also claimed Johnson was "done" and that his premiership is "over". He added: "The voters of Wakefield and Tiverton sending a very clear message. Time for change!"
Yet Johnson is refusing to quit. "It’s absolutely true we’ve had some tough by-election results, they’ve been, I think, a reflection of a lot of things, but we’ve got to recognise voters are going through a tough time at the moment," the PM said. "I think as a government I’ve got to listen to what people are saying, in particular to the difficulties people are facing over the cost of living, which I think for most people is the number one issue.
"We’re now facing pressures on the cost of living, we’re seeing spikes in fuel prices, energy costs, food costs. That’s hitting people. We’ve got to recognise there is more we’ve got to do and we certainly will, we will keep going addressing the concerns of people until we get through this patch."
