Conservative MPs Are Backing Away From A Challenge To Boris Johnson's Leadership, According To A Minister.
Conservative MPs are beginning to "take a step back" and reconsider a leadership challenge against Boris Johnson, according to a minister.
Conor Burns, a minister and long-time ally of the Prime Minister, said colleagues had decided to wait for the report on the No 10 lockdown parties.
It comes after a tumultuous day in Westminster, which included calls for the Prime Minister to resign and a Tory MP defecting to Labour.
No. 10 has stated that the prime minister will battle any threat to his position.
Since confessing to attending a garden party hosted by No 10 workers in the Downing Street garden during the May 2020 lockdown, Mr Johnson has faced a barrage of criticism.
Six Conservative MPs have publicly expressed their disapproval of the Prime Minister so far, but it is believed that more have sent letters to Sir Graham Brady, head of the backbench 1922 committee, which organizes Tory leadership races.
There are rumors that the 54-letter level required to trigger a vote of no confidence and a leadership election may be reached soon, but no official notification has been released.
Following Mr Wakeford's defection, however, some Conservatives have informed the BBC that the tone has shifted.
"I don't believe anything could have brought us closer together than watching someone cross the floor like that," said Joy Morrissey, a Tory MP who, like Mr Wakeford, was elected in 2019.
"What's happened over the last 24 hours is that colleagues have started to look at what's going on and started asking themselves, 'What are we doing, and where is this going?'" Northern Ireland minister Mr Burns told BBC Newsnight.
"And I believe there is a genuine feeling of taking a step back and knowing that the right thing to do is to wait for Sue Gray's report before questioning the prime minister, as he has correctly stated that he will come to the House of Commons and make a statement and answer for it."
Sue Gray, a senior civil servant, is due to provide her report on events at No 10 during the Covid restrictions next week.