No-confidence plot hatched to oust PM after local elections – ‘Signed, sealed and ready’

Boris Johnson: 'Net closing in' on PM claims David Maddox

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Boris Johnson, beset by the Partygate scandal, has been told he needs to fight for his political life in the coming weeks as MPs prepare to force his hand. Rebel MPs have now reportedly hatched a plan to trigger a confidence vote in the Prime Minister in the wake of the local elections, used to gauge public mood and party trust.

According to The Sun, a group of Tory rebels have drawn up post-dated letters which, if enough are sent to the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, will trigger a confidence vote in the House of Commons.

The MPs, weary after months of Partygate allegations and the subsequent police fines handed out to the Prime Minister, his wife, and staff, have allegedly said that a heave defeat on May 5 would be the final straw.

One of the MPS was reported by the Sun as saying he’d dated his letter to 1922 Committee leader Sir Graham Brady for May 6, the day after the elections.

He said: “I haven’t handed it in yet but it’s signed, sealed and ready to go.

“I’m not the only one. The elections will give us a clear idea of whether people still trust the PM.”

And another is reported as saying: “[Mr Johnson has] more hurdles to clear in the weeks ahead than a horse running the Grand National – and from where I stand, he doesn’t look like a thoroughbred.”

In order for MPs to trigger a confidence vote in a sitting Prime Minister, 54 letters must be sent to Sir Graham expressing the desire for one.

The threshold has not yet been reached, but many within party ranks believe it is now just a matter of time.

Mark Harper, Conservative MP for Forest of Dean and former chief whip, made his feelings about the Prime Minster known this week and disclosed he had submitted a no-confidence letter.

He told The Telegraph: “I think my colleagues will have enough evidence to make a decision.

“We can resolve this matter…and we can give the country the fresh leadership it deserves.”

Mr Harper also said he was “very confident that we’re going to see photographs” from Downing Street parties – which some expect will trigger a flurry of letters to the 1922 Committee chair.

He said he believes enough letters will have been submitted before Parliament’s summer recess begins in July, but under details of the new rebel plot, this could come sooner.

The news comes as the latest Opinium voting intention survey showed The Tories continue trailing behind Labour.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party holds a two-point lead over Mr Johnson’s, with Partygate and the recently unveiled plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda hitting the sitting Government hard.

The latest polling from YouGov shows equally dire results for the Prime Minister, with his approval rating now at its lowest ebb since he took office in 2019.

Just 29 percent of the public think he’s doing well as Prime Minister, the poll shows, while a staggering 65 percent think he’s doing badly.

Now, it appears MPs might be ready to take matters into their own hands.

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, who has called on Mr Johnson to quit, said a growing number of backbenchers were “troubled” by his leadership.

He told the BBC: “It’s now when, not if, a vote of confidence takes place.”

He also told Sky News: “We must stop drinking that Kool-Aid that’s encouraging us to think this is all going to disappear.

“More and more MPs believe it’s time the leadership baton is passed on.”

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