The support Boris Johnson once had from Tory members is “changing before our very eyes” into “disappointment” and “anger”, a senior Conservative has said.
Tobias Ellwood said while Johnson’s “long-term intention” was no to make a comeback he was harming the party’s chances of winning the election with a “public pantomime”.
“Let me make it really clear. Johnson’s confidence stemmed from the huge support he received from the party base,” he told Sky News.
“He was loved by members across the country but this is changing before our very eyes.
“There’s now disappointment even anger that the party, the activists are left to pick up the pieces with limited time to repair this fallout.”
Ellwood’s warning as the long-awaited report concluding that Johnson misled Parliament with his partygate denials is set to be published on Thursday morning.
After a 14-month investigation, the privileges committee will release its findings on whether the former prime minister committed a contempt of parliament by misleading MPs either recklessly or deliberately by denying lockdown rules were broken in No 10.
Johnson has railed against the committee he has criticised as a “kangaroo court”, and dramatically quit as an MP on Friday after receiving its verdict.
The former PM’s resignatation means he will not serve the lengthy suspension likely to be recommended.
If it was at least 10 days and approved by the Commons, then a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency could have been triggered.
His decision to quit pre-empted such an outcome, with his constituents to go to the polls next month in a major electoral challenge for Rishi Sunak.
Johnson’s ally Nigel Adams also stepped down and his arch-supporter Nadine Dorries has announced she will go too, though her demands for answers about why she was denied a peerage before she formally quits as an MP look set to prolong the by-election struggle for the prime minister.