Another Conservative MP has publicly called for Boris Johnson to resign in the wake of the Downing Street partygate affair.
Peter Aldous, the MP for Waveney, revealed on Tuesday afternoon he had formally submitted a letter calling for a no confidence vote in the prime minister’s leadership of the party.
“After a great deal of soul-searching, I have reached the conclusion that the prime minister should resign,” he said on Twitter.
“It is clear that he has no intention of doing so and I have therefore written to the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, advising him that I have no confidence in the prime minister as leader of the Conservative Party.”
“I have never taken such action before and had hoped that I would not be put in such an invidious position.
“Whilst I am conscious that others will disagree with me, I believe that this is in the best interests of the country, the government and the Conservative Party.”
In response, Johnson’s spokesperson said: “The prime minister was clear in the House on his position and his message to his fellow MPs.
“You’ve seen the PM seek to address the concerns of MPs in the House for a number of hours yesterday. At the moment he is in the Ukraine focusing on the challenges there.”
Other Tory MPs who have publicly called for Johnson to quit include the leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross and former Brexit secretary David Davis.
Many other Tory MPs were said to be waiting to see the outcome of Sue Gray’s report, which was published in part on Monday, into Downing Street parties during lockdown before deciding whether to call for Johnson to go.
To mount a leadership challenge, 15% of Conservative MPs have to submit a letter to the 1922 committee. Based on the current size of the party in the Commons, this means 54 Tory MPs have to get out their pens.
The letters are secretly sent to Sir Graham Brady, the veteran Tory MP leads 1922. Only Brady knows how many letters he has received. And an unknown number could have put a letter in without announcing it in public.