The Conservative party chair says the disastrous by-election defeat in North Shropshire shows the public is “fed up” with the government – but he insisted Boris Johnson is still a vote-winner.
Oliver Dowden admitted his party had been given “a kicking”, but argued the Tories have recovered before from mid-term by-election thumpings, saying: “It happens time and time again.”
On Mr Johnson – blamed by Tory MPs for self-inflicted blunders over sleaze and lockdown-busting parties – Mr Dowden insisted: “I think the prime minister is an electoral asset for the Conservative party.
“On the big calls, the prime minister has the vision and the direction to get us through this difficult period,” he told Sky News.
He pointed to the fast-expanding booster jab campaign and falling unemployment, but admitted he had “no idea” whether Tory MPs are sending in letters to try to trigger a no-confidence vote in Mr Johnson.
In a later interview, on BBC Breakfast, Mr Dowden dismissed much of the criticism of the government as “noises off and distractions”.
The dramatic result – the Lib Dems overturned a majority of 22,949 in North Shropshire, the biggest by-election swing since 1993 – triggered immediate recriminations on the Tory benches.
Roger Gale, a longstanding Johnson critic, said the result must “be seen as a referendum on the prime minister’s performance”, pointing to other recent blows to his authority.
“The prime minister is now in last orders time,” he said, adding: “One more strike and he’s out.”
And the former leader of Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson that Mr Johnson was “drinking in the last chance saloon” after “badly fumbling” issues of sleaze, lockdown breaches and MPs’ second jobs.
Baroness Davidson said that Tory MPs were not yet ready to declare no confidence in the PM in large numbers, but told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “They are losing for him after Christmas to come back with a programme for government, to sharpen up the operation at No 10, to stop having all of these own goals and burning political capital.
“The party is looking for a bit of bloody grip to be exerted and if they see that they might hold off, but I think the prime minister has been put on warning by his MPs.
“They are tired of the constant drama coming out of No 10 and the No 11 flat. What they are looking for is a more sober prime minister that is going to get on with the job and have less of the drama around what he does.”
On the right of the party, the former cabinet minister John Redwood said it was time to listen to Conservatives”, tweeting: “Will the chancellor now admit his high tax economic slowdown is wrong?”
But Charles Walker, a former vice-chair of the 1922 backbench committee of Tory MPs, warned a leadership challenge now would be “completely self-indulgent”.
“The Conservative party is not going to have a leadership challenge as we are heading into potential further restrictions around Covid,” he insisted.
The Conservative mayor of Market Drayton, a traditionally true-blue town in the North Shropshire constituency, said that the by-election defeat was the result of “certain shenanigans down in London making the headlines with flats and parties and various other things”.
Roy Aldcroft told World at One: “Quite a lot of people are a bit fed up of negative reports about Boris. People are describing him as a buffoon – I don’t think I would, but that is what I am hearing.”
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, hailed the result, a victory by 5,925 votes, as evidence that Mr Johnson is now “losing the support of lifelong Conservatives”.
He pointed to his “shocking Peppa Pig speech and ‘partygate’ where they’ve broken the rules” as reasons for voters switching sides.
“They were telling me that they don’t think Boris Johnson is a decent person, not a decent person to lead our country,” Sir Ed said.
“And, frankly I think the people of North Shropshire have sent in a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson to the Conservative’s 1922 Committee.”
The support of 15 per cent of Conservative MPs is needed to trigger a no-confidence vote, meaning 55 must submit letters to backbench steward Graham Brady.
