The Conservative party has a rather funereal air about it this morning, following this week’s two bruising by-election losses in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton, which saw the party get walloped in both the ‘red wall’ north and true blue south.
And since the losses it appears that Tory animosity towards the PM has been building up. Two former Tory party leaders, William Hague and Michael Howard, have now said that cabinet ministers should pressure Boris Johnson to leave No. 10, with Howard telling the World at One that:
‘The party and more importantly the country would be better off under new leadership. Members of the cabinet should very carefully consider their positions.’
Others in the party are calling on Boris Johnson to cut his Commonwealth trip to Rwanda short and scuttle back to the UK so he can sort out the mess his party is in.
The Tory rebels, meanwhile, have a bit of a problem: if Boris Johnson refuses to go, the 1922 Committee rules on leadership challenges will have to be changed to allow another no-confidence vote against the PM within the year.
Luckily for the plotters though two new champions are on hand: step forward Andrew Bridgen and Steve Baker.
Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, has announced that he will stand in the elections next month so he can sit on the 1922 executive Committee. And he’s been fairly explicit about why he’s in the running, telling GBNews that:
‘I’m going to put my hat in the ring on a manifesto of rule change. I think [for] all the candidate who will put their names forward next week for the committee, I have no doubt the major question is are you in favour or against rule change.’
Meanwhile, Steve Baker has also announced that he will put himself forward for a spot on the committee, according to the Telegraph. Baker has been one of the PM’s harshest critics and has been calling for Boris Johnson to step down as PM since April this year. No guesses what he’ll do either if elected.
The challengers have laid down their gauntlets, now it’s time to see how No. 10 will respond…
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