THE leaders of the Tory backbench MPs have been to see Boris Johnson in Downing Street amid continuing unrest within the party ranks at the Government’s performance.
The chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, confirmed that the executive had met the Prime Minister in No 10 but declined to comment on their discussions.
There have been reports the Tory whips believe a number of MPs have submitted letters of no confidence in Johnson to Brady – although they remain far short of the 54 required under party rules to trigger a vote on his leadership.
The meeting comes after a difficult few weeks for Johnson, which began with his botched attempt to overhaul the Commons standards rules for MPs leading to renewed accusations of Tory “sleaze”.
READ MORE: Government announces 'Union Division' of British Army in 'Future Soldier' restructure
It was followed by criticisms that long-awaited announcements on rail improvements for the North and Midlands and the funding of adult social care in England failed to match previous promises.
It culminated with his rambling speech to the CBI in which Johnson talked about his visit to the Peppa Pig World theme park and made car noises.
Meanwhile, Downing Street has sought to play down reports of tensions between Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
The Times reported that Sunak (below) was becoming increasingly frustrated with the “chaotic” operation in No 10.
The newspaper said the Chancellor’s chief of staff, Liam Booth-Smith, was being blamed for briefing that there was “a lot of concern in the building” about Johnson.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted that the teams in No 10 and No 11, where the Chancellor is based, “continue to work together very well at all levels”.
Asked if the Prime Minister had confidence in Booth-Smith, the spokesman said: “Of course, the Prime Minister has confidence in the team at No 11. They work very closely together delivering on the public’s priorities.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel