Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to face a vote of no confidence later on today - but he already has the backing of some North East Conservative MPs.
Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, confirmed in a statement on Monday that he has now received the 54 letters from Conservative MPs needed to trigger a vote. No10 said in a statement the vote was a chance to end "months of speculation" while some senior MPs have rushed to Mr Johnson's defence.
However, the Prime Minister has also faced fierce criticism from the opposition including Labour leader Keir Starmer who said the public mood has changed with a "general sense that this man doesn't really tell the truth". Former foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, also warned the Tories would lose the next election if he remained in post.
