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Downing Street staff reportedly held drinks on Friday evenings throughout the pandemic with Boris Johnson regularly seeing them doing so.The prime minister encouraged aides to “let off steam” despite having banned indoor socialising during lockdown, The Mirror reported a source as saying.The paper said the end of week “wine-time Fridays” became such a fixture that staff bought a £142 drinks fridge and would head to a nearby Tesco with a suitcase to stock up on wine and beer.The fridge was reportedly delivered on 11 December 2020, when rules banned two or more people from different households from meeting indoors, unless it was necessary for work.Downing Street on Friday apologised to Buckingham Palace after reports that staff attended two separate parties on the night before Prince Philip’s funeral in April. Officials have refused to confirm or deny if Boris Johnson was aware of the two parties, after he admitted to attending an earlier drinks party and was pictured at a second.The prime minister’s spokesman said: “It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No 10 has apologised to the palace.”Around 50 Downing Street staff had the hours between 4pm and 7pm scheduled into their electronic calendars for “wine-time Fridays” every week, according to The Mirror.The paper said the drinks were organised by the No 10 press office but advisers from other parts of the building would also attend. The prime minister’s then defence adviser Captain Steve Higham reportedly showed up regularly.A No 10 spokesperson said: “There is an ongoing investigation to establish the facts around the nature of gatherings, including attendance, setting and the purpose with reference to adherence to the guidance at the time. The findings will be made public in due course.”Allegations of parties in Westminster during periods of lockdown are being investigated by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant. She is expected to present her findings to Mr Johnson next week. He has said that he will publish the report and make a statement in the House of Commons.Sources have told The Independent that the prime minister is drawing up a list of officials to offer resignations to protect his own position after the publication of the report. He is thought to have added to the list Dan Rosenfield, his chief of staff, and Martin Reynolds, the civil servant who organised the party Mr Johnson admitted to attending. The plan is being called “Operation Save Big Dog”, a name understood to have been chosen by Mr Johnson.Has this affected you? Please get in touch. Contact us by clicking here More

Boris Johnson cannot fix the problems facing the NHS because the Partygate scandal has left him “unable to lead”, Sir Keir Starmer is set to say.The Labour leader is preparing to accuse the prime minister of losing his authority and being “too preoccupied defending his rule-breaking” to meet the huge challenges faced by the health service.Mr Johnson is fighting to save his premiership after he admitted attending a “bring your own booze” event in May 2020, with further reports of leaving drinks at No 10 and Whitehall during the pandemic.On Saturday, in a speech at the Fabian Society conference, Sir Keir is due to set out his “personal crusade” for NHS reform, accusing the Conservatives allowing the health service to fall into a “critical” condition.“Rather than concentrating on getting through the pandemic and bringing down waiting lists, this self-indulgent Tory party is instead having a fight about a leader who they should have known from the start is not fit for office,” he is expected to say.The Labour leader will add: “We are witnessing the broken spectacle of a prime minister mired in deceit and deception, unable to lead.”On his “personal crusade” for the NHS, Keir Starmer is expected to say: “I spent a lot of time as a child visiting my mum in hospital. I have never forgotten the care my mum received, the respect with which she was treated. I want that level of care for everyone.”The opposition leader will use his Fabian speech to describe his vision of a “contract for better health” under a Labour government – with a promise to shift health care towards prevention to reflect Britain’s ageing society, according to party officials.Sir Keir will also promise that the next Labour government would treat mental health “as seriously as physical health”.At its party conference last September, Labour pledged to recruit more than 8,500 mental health professionals to support a million more people every year, with a commitment to provide mental health support in under a month.The Labour leader again called on Mr Johnson to resign after Downing Street apologised to Buckingham Palace over leaving parties held in No 10 the day before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral last April.“This shows just how seriously Boris Johnson has degraded the office of prime minister,” said Sir Keir. “An apology isn’t the only thing the prime minister should be offering the palace today. Boris Johnson should do the decent thing and resign.”It comes as the latest YouGov poll gave Labour a 11-point lead over the Conservatives, the biggest recorded by the company since 2013.A separate Savanta poll for The Independent found that 70 per cent of voters want Mr Johnson to resign – a record high figure. More

No 10 apologises to Queen for parties on eve of Prince Philip’s funeralBoris Johnson launched “Operation Save Big Dog” to try and save his job on a day the Downing Street parties scandal continued to dominate Westminster.Mr Johnson is understood to be drawing up a list of officials who can offer their resignation after the publication of Sue Gray’s findings on the various gatherings at No10.It comes as an exclusive survey for The Independent indicates that 70% of voters want the prime minister to quit and a staggering 68% did not consider his apology over a No10 party as “genuine”.The dire survey numbers were revealed on the same day as Downing Street has been forced to apologise to Buckingham Palace following reports of two No 10 parties held on the eve of Prince Philip’s socially-distanced funeral – but officials will not say if Boris Johnson knew about them.The PM’s spokesman is also refusing to clarify whether it was acknowledged to the Palace that the gatherings were “social events”, which would have been in breach of Covid rules at the time. It is understood the apology was made by a government official, in a telephone call – rather than in a conversation involving Mr Johnson.Show latest update

1642204045Covid: How Omicron symptoms differ from the Delta variant and original strain in two chartsThe Omicron variant of coronavirus has spread swiftly across the world since its discovery in South Africa and Botswana in late November and has steadily driven up daily infection numbers wherever it has been found.Highly transmissible, the strain caused the UK to hit a pandemic-record of 218,724 new cases on 4 January but, so far, the soaring infection rate has not translated into an unsustainable level of hospitalisations and deaths.There is still much we do not know about Omicron but its symptoms appear to be much more like that of the common cold, broadly typified by running noses, sneezing and sore throats, whereas the original strain of the virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 was defined by fever, coughs and an unpleasant loss of a patient’s sense of taste or smell.Joe Sommerlad reports.Joe Middleton14 January 2022 23:471642203180Social care for elderly and vulnerable rationed as Covid hits staffMore than half of councils in England are resorting to exceptional measures to ration social care, a survey has found.The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is forcing so many staff to take sick leave or self-isolate that the systems can no longer cope with rising demand, according to council chiefs.They dubbed the situation “a worsening national emergency”.Jane Dalton has the details.Joe Middleton14 January 2022 23:331642202400Boris Johnson too ‘preoccupied’ by Partygate to fix NHS, says Keir StarmerBoris Johnson cannot fix the problems facing the NHS because the Partygate scandal has left him “unable to lead”, Sir Keir Starmer is set to say.The Labour leader is preparing to accuse the prime minister of losing his authority and being “too preoccupied defending his rule-breaking” to meet the huge challenges faced by the health service.Mr Johnson is fighting to save his premiership after he admitted attending a “bring your own booze” event in May 2020, with further reports of leaving drinks at No 10 and Whitehall during the pandemic, writes Adam Forrest.Joe Middleton14 January 2022 23:201642200576Downing Street staff ‘held regular wine-time Friday’ drinks during lockdownDowning Street staff reportedly held drinks on Friday evenings throughout the pandemic with Boris Johnson regularly seeing them doing so.The prime minister encouraged aides to “let off steam” despite having banned indoor socialising during lockdown, The Mirror reported a source as saying.The paper said the end of week “wine-time Fridays” became such a fixture that staff bought a £142 drinks fridge and would head to a nearby Tesco with a suitcase to stock up on wine and beer, writes Liam James.Joe Middleton14 January 2022 22:491642198800A Sudanese man in his twenties has died trying to cross the English Channel in freezing conditions, French authorities say.He fell overboard when a boat ran into trouble shortly after setting off from the coast south of Boulogne in the early hours of Friday morning.He was found unconscious by French rescue teams and taken to shore, where he was declared dead.So far this year, more than 450 people have made the life-threatening trip across the Channel in small boats.Laurie Churchman reports.Joe Middleton14 January 2022 22:201642197328Lib Dem Councillor campaigns for Prince Andrew to lose Duke of York titleJoe Middleton14 January 2022 21:551642195805Bees will die as ministers approve toxic banned pesticide for second time, warn expertsMinisters have given the go-ahead for farmers to use a banned bee-harming pesticide in England for the second year running.The government went against the advice of its own scientific advisers, who said they did not see the justification for applying the neonicotinoid to sugar beet this year, writes Jane Dalton.A single teaspoon of thiamethoxam is toxic enough to kill 1.25 billion bees, according to biology professor and insect expert Dave Goulson, and wildlife chiefs warned the decision could devastate already-struggling bee populations.Joe Middleton14 January 2022 21:301642195228Sudanese man in his twenties dies trying to cross English ChannelA Sudanese man in his twenties has died trying to cross the English Channel in freezing conditions, French authorities say.He fell overboard when a boat ran into trouble shortly after setting off from the coast south of Boulogne in the early hours of Friday morning.He was found unconscious by French rescue teams and taken to shore, where he was declared dead.So far this year, more than 450 people have made the life-threatening trip across the Channel in small boats.The Home Office is facing legal action over proposals to turn back small boats at sea, a tactic campaigners warn could put lives at risk.Laurie Churchman reports.Joe Middleton14 January 2022 21:201642194928Should Boris Johnson resign over ‘partygate’? Have your say in our poll Some senior Tory MPs are calling for PM to quit – but what do you think? Tell us in the poll below.Joe Middleton14 January 2022 21:151642193557No10 staff reportedly held ‘wine-time Fridays’ every week during Covid pandemicDowning Street staff held “wine-time Fridays” every week during the pandemic that Boris Johnson encouraged, reports say.The regular gatherings were encouraged by the prime minister who wanted aides to “let off steam”, despite harsh lockdown rules forbidding indoor socialising.The Daily Mirror reports that the boozy meet-ups were scheduled into the electronic calendars of approximately 50 Downing Street staff between 4pm and 7pm.They were organised by the No10 press office and would advisers from other parts of the building would regularly join in with the gatherings.The latest revelations are sure to heap yet further pressure on the beleaguered prime minister who is facing the most serious challenge to his premiership after a series of alleged parties at Downing Street. Joe Middleton14 January 2022 20:52 More

Ministers have given the go-ahead for farmers to use a banned bee-harming pesticide in England for the second year running.The government went against the advice of its own scientific advisers, who said they did not see the justification for applying the neonicotinoid to sugar beet this year.A single teaspoon of thiamethoxam is toxic enough to kill 1.25 billion bees, according to biology professor and insect expert Dave Goulson, and wildlife chiefs warned the decision could devastate already-struggling bee populations.Environment officials announced they would permit the use of the pesticide to try to combat a virus transmitted by aphids.They say the UK’s sugar harvest could otherwise be at risk this year and that “its exceptional temporary use will be tightly controlled and only permitted in very specific circumstances when strict requirements are met”.Neonicotinoids are considered so harmful that they were banned by the UK and the EU in 2018, but since then 12 countries, including France, Denmark and Spain, have also granted emergency permits for neonicotinoid treatments to go ahead.This time last year there was an outcry when ministers first gave beet farmers the green light to apply the pesticide, although eventually it was not used because a cold winter killed off the aphids.Wildlife experts warned the decision “sounds a death knell for millions of bees and other insects” and flies in the face of government pledges to halt biodiversity loss.The Pesticide Collaboration, which encompasses environmental organisations the RSPB, Friends of the Earth, Buglife and the Wildlife Trusts, said the would harm of wildlife and that the government should increase protection for bees and other wildlife from the harm caused by pesticides.Minutes from a meeting of the Expert Committee on Pesticides say members agreed that the requirements for emergency authorisation had not been met and that pesticide water pollution caused by the decision would harm river life.Even minute traces of neonicotinoid chemicals in crop pollen or wild flowers “play havoc with bees’ ability to forage and navigate, with catastrophic consequences for the survival of their colony”, according to the RSPB.A recent study showed that even one instance of exposure of a “neonic” insecticide significantly harmed bees’ ability to produce offspring.A third of the UK bee population is thought to have vanished in a decade, yet up to three-quarters of crop species are pollinated by bees, studies show. Thiamethoxam is a seed treatment, taken up by the whole plant, including the flower, pollen and juices from the plant insects forage on, wildlife experts say.Sandra Bell, of Friends of the Earth, said: “Allowing a bee-harming pesticide back into our fields is totally at odds with ministers’ so-called green ambitions.”Joan Edwards, of The Wildlife Trusts, said the decision was “a clear betrayal of promises made to protect the natural world and comes at a time when nature declines are worse than ever”, adding: “Less than two months ago the government adopted a legally binding commitment to halt the decline of wildlife by 2030 within its flagship Environment Act – the authorisation of this neonicotinoid flies in the face of this commitment and sounds a death knell for millions of bees and other insects.”A Defra spokesperson said: “This decision has not been taken lightly and is based on robust scientific assessment. We evaluate the risks very carefully and only grant temporary emergency authorisations for restricted pesticides in special circumstances when strict requirements are met.“Strict criteria remain in place meaning this authorisation will only be used if necessary.”The government also says work on gene editing will help develop crops that are more resistant to aphids.The Independent has asked British Sugar, which made the emergency application, to comment.Have you got a story you would like us to report on? Contact us by clicking here. More

Senior Tories are calling for Boris Johnson to resign despite his apology for attending a boozy party in the garden of Downing Street during the first Covid lockdown in May 2020.The prime minister told the House of Commons this week that he thought the gathering, billed by his own principal private secretary as a “bring your booze” event, was “work” related.But the explanation was not enough to satisfy Douglas Ross, Tory leader in Scotland, who said Mr Johnson’s position was “no longer tenable” after his belated apology during Prime Minister’s Questions.Ruth Davidson, former leader in Scotland; William Wragg, vice chair of the influential 1922 Committee; Sir Roger Gale and Caroline Nokes are among the other names calling for the PM to quit.Most cabinet members have now backed Mr Johnson to continue, at least until the formal investigation into Downing Street parties has concluded, although Liz Truss, the foreign secretary and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor – both touted as potential successors to the PM – waited until late in the evening to voice their support.Several Tory MPs are rumoured to have sent in letters of no confidence to the 1992 Committee, although the number falls far short of the 54 required to trigger a leadership contest.That, coupled with the fact that Johnson has said he will not resign, means there is currently no mechanism to remove him from office.But what do you think, should he be allowed to continue? Tell us your thoughts in the poll below. More

Boris Johnson “commuted” between Downing Street and his official country residence of Chequers during the first Covid lockdown period – even after telling the public to stay at home, No 10 has admitted.The prime minister travelled to and from his grace and favour mansion in Buckinghamshire for more than 10 days after he first asked country to stop non-essential travel on 16 March 2020.Asked about the period between 16 March and 27 March 2020, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “At that time, Mrs Johnson was heavily pregnant and had been placed in a vulnerable category and advised to minimise social contact.”No 10 added: “In line with clinical guidance and to minimise the risk to her they were based at Chequers during this period, with the prime minister commuting to Downing Street to work.”On 16 March 2020 Mr Johnson told the public to “stop non-essential contact and travel”.The prime minister announced the first lockdown on 23 March 2020 with the order: “You must stay at home.” On 26 March 2020, laws came into force banning people from visiting second homes.Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie used Chequers during the first lockdown period and staff at the country residence contracted Covid at the time, sources told Tortoise Media, which first reported on the PM’s “commuting” on Friday.The prime minister tested positive for Covid on 27 March 2020 and headed into a period of self-isolation in his Downing Street flat.Downing Street denied any rules had been broken by the prime minister’s commuting during the period. A No 10 spokesperson said: “This claim that the prime minister did not comply with lockdown regulations and guidance is entirely inaccurate”.Pressure is mounting on Mr Johnson amid fresh allegations that leaving drinks events were held at Downing Street last April – the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, while strict Covid measures were still in place.No 10 has apologised to Buckingham Palace over the gatherings held on 16 April 2021 – the day before the Queen attended the funeral alone – but refused to say if Mr Johnson knew about them.Separately, the former head of the government unit responsible for drawing up  Covid rules has apologised for organising a leaving drinks event during 2020’s Christmas lockdown.Kate Josephs, ex-chief of the government’s Covid-19 taskforce at the Cabinet Office, admitted she had gathered colleagues together for her own leaving event on 17 December 2020.Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is drawing up a list of officials to offer resignations over the partygate scandal in the weeks ahead as he battles to save his premiership, The Independent has learned.Dubbed “Operation Save Big Dog” by the PM, the plan includes a drive to work out who should go after the publication of senior official Sue Gray’s report, according to sources.Martin Reynolds, his private secretary and author of the ‘BYOB’ email, and Dan Rosenfield, Mr Johnson’s chief of staff, have both been noted as making a possible exit.Several Tory MPs told The Independent they expected Mr Johnson to cling on to power until Ms Gray’s report, and did not think the 54 no-confidence letters needed to trigger a leadership challenge would be sent to the head of the 1922 committee of backbenchers next week.One Tory backbencher told The Independent that he was “close” to sending in a letter of no confidence – and warned the PM there could be a “tsunami” of letters soon. “It depends on how damning the Sue Gray report, or whether more revelations come out – photos of parties would be very bad.” More

The former head of the government unit responsible for drawing up Covid rules has apologised for organising a leaving drinks event during 2020’s Christmas lockdown.Kate Josephs, ex-chief of the government’s Covid-19 taskforce at the Cabinet Office, admitted she had gathered colleagues together for her own leaving event on 17 December 2020, while strict curbs on socialising remained in force in London.Ms Josephs, who is currently chief executive of Sheffield City Council, said she was co-operating with the investigation into government parties carried out by senior civil servant Sue Gray.“On the evening of 17 December, I gathered with colleagues that were at work that day, with drinks, in our office in the Cabinet Office, to mark my leaving the civil service,” Ms Josephs said in a statement posted on Twitter on Friday.“I am truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result. Sheffield has suffered greatly during this pandemic, and I apologise unreservedly.”Pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson amid fresh allegations that two drinks gatherings were held at Downing Street last April – the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, while strict Covid measures were still in place.Downing Street has apologised to Buckingham Palace after it emerged parties were held in No 10 on 16 April 2021, the day before the Queen attended the Duke’s funeral alone – but refused to say if Mr Johnson knew about them.The PM’s spokesman said he had been at Chequers on 16 April and had not been invited to the events. James Slack, Mr Johnson’s former director of communications, apologised for the “anger and hurt” caused by his leaving gathering that evening, saying it “should not have happened”.London had just entered tier 3 curbs at the time of Ms Josephs’ leaving event, with parties banned and the public prohibited from mixing indoors with anyone outside their support bubble. According to The Telegraph, dozens of officials from the Covid-19 taskforce attended the event.On the very same day, the government’s official Twitter feed replied to a query asking if employers could hold Christmas parties. It warned: “You must not have a work Christmas lunch or party.”Ms Josephs said: “I have been cooperating fully with the Cabinet Office investigations and I do not want to pre-empt the findings of the investigation.”Leader of Sheffield City Council, Labour councillor Terry Fox, said people in the city would feel “angry and let down” but stopped short of calling for Ms Josephs to resign from her current role. “We await the findings of the investigation,” he said.It had already emerged that a Christmas party was held on 17 December 2020 in the private office of cabinet secretary Simon Case, separately from Ms Josephs’ leaving event. Some 70 per cent of voters want Mr Johnson to quit, according to a Savanta survey for The Independent. Some 68 per cent dismissed his Commons apology – in which he claimed he did not realise a “bring your own booze” gathering in May 2020 was a party – as bogus.However, several Tory MPs told The Independent they expected Mr Johnson to cling on to power until Ms Gray’s report, and did not think the 54 no-confidence letters needed to trigger a leadership challenge would be sent to the head of the 1922 committee next week.One Tory backbencher told The Independent that he was “close” to sending in a letter of no confidence – and warned the PM there could be a “tsunami” of letters soon.“There will be a brief lull period, as we wait for Sue Gray to report, but there could be a tsunami of letters before too long. It depends on how damning the Sue Gray report, or whether more revelations come out – photos of parties would be very bad.”A senior Tory MP said he was get a lot of “angry” emails about the PM and parties. “Everyone is annoyed at the moment. It’s the most dangerous time that [Mr Johnson] has ever faced. It’s very serious. The mood is very bad. But I’d be very surprised if we reached 54 letters before the Sue Gray report.”Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, told The Independent: “Every new allegation that comes out is bad news.”Responding to the latest claims of leaving drinks at No 10 and Whitehall, he said: “For everybody in the population who obeyed the rules, but particularly those who weren’t able to say goodbye to loved ones when they died, it creates a very bad impression.”Asked if Mr Johnson would have to go over partygate, the senior Tory figure said: “We must wait and see what Sue Gray says. I don’t want to speculate until I’ve seen that report.”Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is drawing up a list of officials to offer resignations over the partygate scandal in the weeks ahead as he battles to save his premiership, The Independent has reported.Dubbed “Operation Save Big Dog” by the PM, the plan includes a drive to work out who should go after Ms Gray’s report, according to sources.Earlier on Friday, foreign secretary Liz Truss suggested the British public should “move on” from the scandal over parties held at No 10 during the pandemic. She added that people should “wait for the results of the Sue Gray inquiry”. More

Voters are deserting Boris Johnson over the scandal of No 10 parties, with 70 per cent calling for him to quit and almost as many dismissing his Commons apology as bogus, an exclusive survey for The Independent reveals.The rejection is revealed amid criticism of the prime minister for failing to say sorry personally to the Queen for parties held in No 10 on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral last April.Instead, an apology was delivered by a member of staff in a telephone call – as Mr Johnson remained in his Downing Street flat, despite the extraordinary new evidence of Covid rule-busting.The leader of a grassroots Tory group told The Independent that the party’s MPs must now find the stomach to force out “the worst prime minister of my lifetime”.John Strafford, chair of the Campaign for Conservative Democracy, called the partying as the Queen prepared to mourn “disgraceful”, adding: “It is down to the arrogance of the prime minister that these things happen.”The survey, by Savanta, found that 70 per cent of voters want Mr Johnson to resign – a record high figure – with just 21 per cent backing him to stay in power.Just as worryingly for the embattled leader, 68 per cent did not consider his apology – in which he claimed he did not realise a “bring your own booze” gathering in his garden was a party – to be genuine.A clear majority of respondents said the “cover-up” of the parties was worse than the staging of the lockdown-busting events, by 56 per cent to 32 per cent.Some 63 per cent said they did not trust Sue Gray’s inquiry to uncover whether rules were broken – as experts point out that her remit is simply to set out the facts, not reach a verdict.Yet another party was uncovered, prompting the former head of the government unit drawing up Covid rules to apologise for a Cabinet Office leaving drinks during 2020’s Christmas lockdown.The crisis was reignited with the revelation that two leaving events were held on 16 April – the day before Prince Philip’s funeral – for the prime minister’s communications chief and for his personal photographer.The second party involved loud music, a DJ and a staff member sent to the Co-op store on the Strand to fill a suitcase with bottles of wine, The Daily Telegraph reported.Drinking carried on in the No 10 garden into the early hours of the morning, witnesses said – and one person broke a swing belonging to Johnson’s infant son, Wilfred.James Slack, the former head of communications, apologised for his leaving do, admitting: “This event should not have happened at the time that it did.”In its response, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No 10 has apologised to the Palace.”But he refused to say if the prime minister knew about the events – and it was unclear exactly what No 10 had said sorry for, as it refused to say what was meant by “this” and if they were “social events”.Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Boris Johnson should apologise personally to the Queen for the offence he’s caused her and millions around the country mourning for loved ones.”And Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “This shows just how seriously Boris Johnson has degraded the office of prime minister. The Conservatives have let Britain down.”Mr Johnson’s spokesman said he was at his country residence Chequers on 16 April last year and had not been invited to the events.But, in evidence of a growing grassroots revolt, Mr Strafford said: “The MPs need to act to get rid of him. The 1922 Committee should have a vote of confidence and say ‘out you go’.”Andrea Thorpe, chairman of Maidstone and The Weald Conservative Association, attacked “one calamity too many”, saying: “People have just now had enough. They feel let down.”The Sutton Coldfield Conservative Association unanimously passed a motion calling on the prime minister to stand down. A Tory has won the constituency in every election since its creation in 1945.Tory MPs have said they want to “wait for Sue Gray”, with the investigation by the senior civil servant expected to conclude as early as the end of next week.They will come under fiercer pressure from constituents to push the number of letters submitted to the 1922 Committee past the threshold of 54 needed to trigger a no-confidence vote.But Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, asked about Mr Johnson’s position, said: “He has apologised, I think we now need to move on and talk about how we are going to sort out issues.” More