For some backbenchers, the Prime Minister has made a real pig’s ear of his leadership
Many Tory MPs aren’t happy with the Prime Minister, with reports today suggesting up to a dozen letters of ‘no confidence’ have been submitted from Johnson’s own back benches.
In the last few weeks, the party has been rocked by the Owen Paterson scandal, an ensuing row over sleaze and a woefully inadequate rail infrastructure announcement for the North.
The party of low tax have introduced an increased National Insurance levy, overseen rocketing energy bills and announced a social care cap that could see millions of people lose their homes.
The Prime Minister’s speech on Monday to the CBI conference, in which he lost his place in his speech somewhere between making “vroom vroom” car noises and comparing himself to Moses, left many feeling uneasy – with some now claiming Boris Johnson is unfit for the role of PM.
The Sun reports that in the wake of these hiccups, up to a dozen letters of ‘no confidence’ have been sent to the party’s 1922 Committee, but according to Politico it was likely “one or two”.
More than 50 letters of no confidence are needed to trigger a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister.
Theresa May narrowly avoided a vote of no confidence in January of 2019 by a vote of 325 to 306.
One senior Tory MP told The Sun: “He is like Jose Mourinho. He was good a decade ago and his powers have been fading ever since.
“Yes he won an election, but a bowl of soup could have beaten Jeremy Corbyn.
“There is real anger. He has until Spring to get back on track or he will be in real trouble.
“Letters have gone in. I am on the cusp myself.”
Deputy Prime Minister Mr Raab dismissed the claims of a leadership challenge this morning, telling BBC Breakfast: “The Prime Minister is on great form,” he said. “The reality is people speak about speeches in the Westminster village, the gossip and all the rest of it.”
However, the Mail reports Johnson’s neighbour, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, could be fuelling discontent.
Hours after Boris Johnson had finished his Peppa Pigs-ear of a speech at the CBI conference, a senior Downing Street Source told BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg “It’s just not working”.
The source said: “Cabinet needs to wake up and demand serious changes otherwise it’ll keep getting worse”.
The Mail reports the source could have come from inside Rishi Sunak’s Treasury.
Senior Downing St source says “there is a lot of concern inside the building about the PM….It’s just not working. Cabinet needs to wake up and demand serious changes otherwise it’ll keep getting worse. If they don’t insist, he just won’t do anything about it."
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) November 22, 2021
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs from 12PM.
Related Links:
- Boris Johnson confirms what we all knew – he wants to live in a pig’s world
- Jeremy Corbyn suing Councillor over doctored Liverpool bomb photo
- Speaker tells Boris Johnson “In this house, I’m in charge”
