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The PM wrote to all Tory MPs vowing to give them more say in policymaking, to avert any no-confidence vote. He purged No10 after Partygate and as the fightback built up, a minister said keeping him was “the best thing for the country”. The Prime Minister promised change after investigator Sue Gray’s report on alleged Covid rule-busting parties.<\/p>\n
He told backbenchers “we will now deliver together” ‑ and guaranteed them a “direct line into 10 Downing Street” by appointing Tory MP Andrew Griffith as his director of policy.<\/p>\n
Ministers and backbenchers continued to rally behind Mr Johnson last night after an explosive 48 hours which saw five senior aides depart No10.<\/p>\n
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove declared that keeping the PM in his post was “the best thing for the country”.<\/p>\n
He denied that the Government was in disarray, saying: “The PM wanted change and he said there would be change, and we’re seeing that change now.”<\/p>\n
Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant said: “Come the General Election, scheduled for 2024, the Conservatives will have been in office for 14 years.<\/p>\n
“It was always going to be difficult to win another term. But the Labour Party and I know that our best chance is Boris Johnson.<\/p>\n
“If Boris can survive the next three months and make the reforms in No10 that he promised to Conservative MPs on Monday, Keir Starmer knows that he will be unlikely to succeed at the next General Election.”<\/p>\n
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Ex-Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox will declare on Saturday that Boris Johnson’s Government puts the public first, saying in a speech: “To be a Conservative is not just a convenient label to have on your ballot paper, a banner slapped on any old collection of ideas.<\/p>\n
“It is not a vehicle for personal ambition without a price tag. It comes with a built-in set of values and beliefs.”<\/p>\n
Dr Fox will add: “We need to remember, at all times, that we are not in politics for ourselves but rather for those we serve.”<\/p>\n
Tory MP David Jones said yesterday: “The clear-out in Downing Street is welcome, but it has to go deeper and farther.”<\/p>\n
The PM’s all-round letter to colleagues came after two more Tory MPs confirmed they were sending letters of no confidence in Mr Johnson to party officials.<\/p>\n
Aaron Bell said that the Partygate scandal and the way it had been handled was making the PM’s position “untenable”.<\/p>\n
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The MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme had stunned a Commons session on the Gray report into silence on Monday, saying: “It seems that a lot of people attended events in May 2020.<\/p>\n
“The one I recall attending was my grandmother’s funeral. She was a wonderful woman. As well as her love for her family, she served her community as a councillor and she served Dartford Conservative Association loyally for many years.<\/p>\n
“I drove for three hours from Staffordshire to Kent. There were only 10 people at the funeral; many people who loved her had to watch online.<\/p>\n
“I did not hug my siblings. I did not hug my parents. I gave a eulogy and afterwards I did not even go into her house for a cup of tea; I drove back, for three hours, from Kent to Staffordshire.”<\/p>\n
He concluded: “Does the Prime Minister think I am a fool?” And last night ex-Schools Minister Nick Gibb, who served under three PMs, said: “We need to face up to hard truths. To restore trust, we need to change the Prime Minister.”<\/p>\n
Triggering a Tory leadership contest requires 54 letters of no confidence. While the declared total last night was nine, the actual figure is thought to be higher since most MPs do not publicise it.<\/p>\n
Many have cited the PM’s participation in parties with staff in No10 during lockdowns as their motivation to challenge him.<\/p>\n
The Met Police is investigating 12 gatherings and it is expected that Ms Gray’s full report will be published when that inquiry is completed. <\/p>\n
On Friday, Mr Johnson delivered a rallying cry to Downing Street staff ‑ using a line from the Lion King blockbuster film that “change is good”.<\/p>\n
Speaking to around 80 staff the PM said: “As Rafiki in the Lion King says, change is good and change is necessary even though it’s tough.”<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson was said to have given his familiar “half-time pep talk” in which he talks about spitting out the “orange peel” and getting back on the “pitch”. He reportedly received a “loud” round of applause. <\/p>\n
The PM’s address in the Cabinet room and on Zoom came after five senior aides quit No10. <\/p>\n
The bombshell departure of his longtime loyal lieutenant Munira Mirza on Thursday forced Mr Johnson to bring forward a purge of his chief of staff, communications boss and top mandarin.<\/p>\n
He was hit by a fifth resignation yesterday when well-respected policy adviser Elena Narozanski quit. Ms Mirza walked with a broadside against the PM’s smear against Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for not prosecuting serial sex abuser Jimmy Savile, when he was Director of Public Prosecutions.<\/p>\n
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Top spin doctor Jack Doyle resigned hours later followed by senior civil servant Martin Reynolds ‑ nicknamed “Party Marty” after he invited 100 staff to a lockdown-breaking bash.<\/p>\n
Around an hour later unpopular Downing Street chief of staff Dan Rosenfield also fell on his sword.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday became the latest minister to distance himself from the PM’s criticism of Sir Keir.<\/p>\n
Mr Javid said in a television interview the Labour boss deserved “absolute respect” for the job he did as DPP, after Mr Johnson blamed him for a failure to ensure Savile was taken to court.<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson had been publicly criticised already by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who questioned his conduct over the explosive attack.<\/p>\n
In May 2019 the Conservative Party came 5th in the UK’s European Parliament election, winning a pathetic 8.8 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
Parliament was gridlocked as the political elite tried every trick in the book to thwart the result of the Brexit referendum.<\/p>\n
At the head of the Leave campaign, Boris Johnson was resolved to deliver for the millions who had quietly defied the patronising sneers of Remainers and voted to take back control of Britain.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to December. Boris had cracked the stalemate in Parliament and secured a general election.<\/p>\n
As he barnstormed around the country, it was obvious something was afoot.<\/p>\n
The British people were embracing him. They could see he was on their side – he was one of them.<\/p>\n
He won a thunderous landslide, the biggest Tory win since Thatcher in 1987.<\/p>\n
Then Covid-19 hit. Yet, despite his own brush with death, Boris has toiled mightily to protect the British people and get us through.<\/p>\n
Thanks to his buccaneering risk-taking, the UK was in the vanguard in getting a vaccine. He protected jobs and the economy through furlough.<\/p>\n
He got the big judgment calls right and we are in great shape to build back better.<\/p>\n
Only a fool would pretend the last few weeks have been easy. Mistakes were made. Boris understands that and has promised to fix it.<\/p>\n
Key to that will be to make sure his team in No10 is focused totally on his top priority ‑ delivering on the agenda that propelled him to a stonking 80-seat majority.<\/p>\n
The high priests of the media hysterically suggest senior staff leaving Downing Street represents a new “crisis”. But in fact it is Boris doing as he promised.<\/p>\n
I know Daily Express readers will give Boris the time and space to show us all that he still wants to deliver for this great country.<\/p>\n