Tory MPs are having “conversations” about how to oust Boris Johnson amid a series of damaging government scandals, a Conservative peer has said.
“There are definitely those conversations happening – MPs have talked to me about it,” Lord Barwell admitted.
“That doesn’t mean it is going to happen. But Boris, more than anyone, his position depends on being seen as an electoral asset. If over time that goes, he really is in trouble,” Theresa May’s former chief of staff added.
Lord Barwell’s comments come as the prime minister continues to struggle with the fallout caused by revelations about last year’s Downing Street Christmas parties.
The growing controversy comes as an ex-standards chief joined opposition parties in calling for further investigations to be opened into Mr Johnson’s luxury revamp of his Downing Street flat.
This follows accusations that the prime minister lied to his own ethics adviser, Christopher Geidt, about donations spent on the redecorations, with Tory MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown saying “the truth must come out”.
‘Multiple people’ responsible for Downing Street leaks, says Cummings
In an Ask Me Anything session earlier today, Dominic Cummings was asked who leaked the footage which led to Allegra Stratton’s resignation as a government adviser this week.
The architect of the Vote Leave campaign, who was sacked as Boris Johnson’s chief aide last year, replied: “There are multiple people leaking with multiple agendas & the video was not security footage.”
Dominic Cummings
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Tory MPs’ silence ominous for PM
In recent days, many Tory MPs have been asked on radio if they have confidence in the prime minister.
Their long silences are ominous for Boris Johnson, writes John Rentoul:
Tory MPs in ‘conversations’ to oust PM
As an earlier post mentioned, some Tories MPs are said to be plotting Boris Johnson’s fall from power.
Lord Barwell said there were murmurings of this among his parliamentary colleagues.
Ashley Cowburn and Adam Forrest have this full report:
No 10 cancels Christmas party
Despite saying that there is no need to cancel Christmas parties, No 10 has decided not to host one itself.
Confirming the decision, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “I think we’ve made clear since the latest situation with Omicron, obviously that’s taking up great deal of time at the moment.
“There’s no plans for that in No 10.”
The move comes as Boris Johnson faced even more pressure over last year’s reportedly illegal Christmas do.
PM will ‘answer further questions’ from Lord Geidt, No 10 confirms
For the time being at least, ministerial standards advisor Lord Geidt is still in his post.
Reports have suggested he is close to quitting over allegations that Boris Johnson lied to him during his investigation earlier this year into the funding of the Tory leader’s flat refurbishment.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said he was liaising with Lord Geidt “to any answer further questions he may have”.
Johnson is ‘worst PM by country mile’, says Bercow
John Bercow says Johnson is ‘worst PM he’s known by a country mile’
Former speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, did not hold back in his criticism of Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Good Morning Britain on Friday (10 December) saying he “stinks in the nostrils of decent people”.Bercow seemed to be worried about the wider damage Johnson was doing to politics as a whole, telling the ITV show: “I’m sorry to say it but I’ve known 12 prime ministers in my lifetime and by a country mile Boris Johnson is the worst.”Sign up to our politics newsletter here
Boris Johnson has provoked discussions over his own exit, Cummings suggests
Dominic Cummings has claimed that Boris Johnson is unable to trust anyone in his team and will “throw them all under the bus when he hears the echo of the firing squad’s boots”.
The prime minister’s former chief adviser suggested the firing squad is “not yet marching but the PM himself has provoked discussions about its assembly and timing”.
No need to cancel Christmas parties, No 10 says
Hours after Public Health Scotland urged people to defer Christmas parties in light of omicron outbreaks at such events, Downing Street said it is up to individual businesses to decide whether festive parties should go ahead.
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “We do not think there is a need to cancel people coming together in hospitality venues like that.”
Asked whether it was therefore the wrong message for the Chancellor to cancel Christmas drinks, he said: “It’s down to individual businesses and indeed departments to make a decision on what’s right.
“We’re simply saying as a matter of fact there’s nothing in the guidance or the regulation that requires individuals to do so. We want people to keep using hospitality. We know that’s important, and we’re confident people will.”
It comes after Mr Johnson faced criticism, not least on the front page of the Daily Telegraph, for his insistence that parties should go ahead despite urging people to work from home.
Vast majority of public has little to no confidence in Boris Johnson on pandemic, poll finds
One in 10 people would not follow new household mixing rules specifically because of Downing Street parties, according to YouGov.
While 46 per cent of people surveyed said they were unlikely to follow any mixing rules, more than one in five of this group cited the government not sticking to the rules as the reason.
And confidence in Boris Johnson to make the right decisions on the pandemic appears to have shrunk, with 70 per cent saying they had little to no confidence in the prime minister on the matter – up 10 per cent from July. Just 22 per cent said they did have confidence in him to make the right decisions.
Photo evidence exists of No 10 Christmas parties, Dominic Cummings claims
Boris Johnson’s former senior adviser Dominic Cummings has claimed there are photos of the festive parties held at Downing Street in the run-up to Christmas last year, Adam Forrest reports.
Mr Cummings claimed photo evidence of the events – and invitations sent out to people who do not work at Downing Street – would be revealed.
The former strategist also said he thought Mr Johnson probably knew about the 18 December event at the centre of the scandal and predicted the prime minister would “be gone before the next election”.
In a question and answer event for subscribers to his blog, Mr Cummings also suggested that Mr Doyle would become the fall guy for the party scandal – claiming the press chief is a “gonner”.
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