Conservative chairman Oliver Dowden has submitted his letter of resignation after the party’s crushing double by-election loss in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield.
In an apparent reference to Partygate in a letter to Boris Johnson, Mr Dowden said he shared the feelings of Tory supporters who were “distressed and disappointed by recent events”.
But the departing cabinet minister stopped short of criticising the PM, calling his decision “deeply personal” and suggesting he bore some responsibility for a “very poor run” of results.
“Yesterday’s parliamentary by-elections are the latest in a run of very poor result for our party,” Mr Dowden wrote. “Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.”
The senior MP added: “We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office.”
Mr Johnson told Mr Dowden he was “sad” to see him leave in a reply letter. “While I completely understand your disappointment with the by-election results, this government was elected with a historic mandate just over two years ago to unite and level up.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak later said he was “sad” over the resignation of Oliver Dowden but added he was “determined to continue working to tackle the cost of living”.
Senior Tory MP Simon Hoare – who voted against Mr Johnson at the recent confidence vote – said Mr Dowden was “not to blame” for the losses. Fellow Tory rebel Andrew Bowie said he was “really sorry” to see the “thoroughly decent man” depart the role.
The Liberal Democrats swept to victory in Devon, where Richard Foord overcame a Tory majority of 24,239 votes and won by more than 6,000 – the largest ever majority overturned at a by-election.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the result should be a “wake-up call” to Tory MPs about Mr Johnson’s leadership, while Mr Foord called on Mr Johnson to “go now”.
Labour’s Simon Lightwood won in Wakefield after winning the west Yorkshire seat by almost 5,000 votes, overturning a smaller Conservative lead of 3,358 votes.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the result showed that the country has “lost confidence in the Tories” and that his party was “ready for government”.
The double defeat will raise further questions for PM, currently in Rwanda, who insisted on Thursday that it would be “crazy” to step down even if he lost both by-elections.
Gavin Barwell, former No 10 chief of staff under Theresa May, said the results should show the Conservatives it is “time to wake up before it is too late”.
“Finally someone in the cabinet says ‘Enough is enough’,” he tweeted on Mr Dowden’s exit. “These by-elections - particularly Tiverton – show the Conservative Party is sleepwalking to defeat at the next election.”
Former No 10 adviser Tim Montgomerie, creator of ConservativeHome website, said the “massive” result in Tiverton showed Mr Johnson had to go. “This is a crisis for the Conservative party,” he told Sky News.
He added: “Voters are reacting to the character of the prime minister. They are rejecting the character of the prime minister. And if the Conservatives don’t act soon … the whole Conservative party will be judged. We cannot let this situation continue.”
James Johnson, former pollster at No 10, said there was “only one person to blame for the Wakefield result” – pointing to Mr Johnson and Partygate as the main reason swing voters cited for opting for Labour.
Former Tory special adviser Mo Hussein said there would have to be a lot of “soul searching” about how to move forward – suggesting the party should ditch its emphasis on “culture war” issues.
Mr Foord, who becomes the first non-Tory MP to win Tiverton since its creation in 1997, also warned the PM that “coups can happen” when leaders head overseas during rocky patches at home.
