Rebel Conservative MPs are panicking about the timing of the demand for the removal of Boris Johnson, with some doubting that next week is the right time to trigger a no-confidence vote.
About 30 back courts have publicly called for the prime minister to resign, and back judges believe they are close to reaching the threshold of 54 no-confidence votes needed for a leadership vote.
But a Tory MP who wants to see Mr Johnson replaced has called on his colleagues to withdraw their no-confidence motion to prevent a “random” vote early next week, according to The Guardian.
Concerned anti-Johnson activists are said to fear that potential candidates for leadership have not had enough time to mobilize and encourage hesitant lawmakers to look beyond Mr Johnson.
Some believe that the period after two by-elections in June would be the best chance for the prime minister to win a vote of confidence.
Earlier, the rebels told The Independent that they feared the no-confidence vote could be triggered too soon “by accident” – giving Johnson a good chance to stay in power for another 12 months.
Tory rules mean that a majority of the party’s 180 deputies will have to vote against Mr Johnson to provoke a leadership race to find his deputy. If the prime minister survives, he is protected from a second ballot for one year.
Some of Johnson’s allies are said to want to vote no confidence in the run-up to the June 23 by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton.
Conservative research guru Lord Hayward told Sky News: “If I were a conspirator, I would probably like this to last a while because it allows the talks to last longer. The by-elections on June 23 … will be crucial. “
Tori’s peer added: “If I were a fan of Boris, I would probably like to get him off the road as soon as possible, because 54 is relatively easy. 180, which is the number of votes of confidence, is a different matter.
Andrew Bridgen, a Tory MP who recently resubmitted his letter after withdrawing it in the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, reportedly predicted in a Tory WhatsApp group that Downing Street would be told on Monday that 54 letters had already arrived. .
Tory MP Mark Francois, who did not call for Johnson to leave, suggested that the prime minister still has work to do next week to convince his hesitant assholes that things will change after Partygate.
“We will return on Monday and colleagues will ask, ‘Who will take responsibility for this?'” He told Times Radio on Friday. “After talking to colleagues over the last few days, their mood is, they want to know, ‘Who’s going to carry the box?’
This comes when the leader of the grassroots Conservative activist group called on Johnson to resign over the Partygate scandal – saying the prime minister would “repel voters” in the next general election.
Ed Costello told The Telegraph that Mr Johnson was not “completely honest” about the illegal gatherings on Downing Street. “If he had any sense, he would resign before he was pressured.
Leslie Bambridge, the Tory mayor of West Norfolk, said he feared Mr Johnson had “lost his grip” on number 10. “I think it’s time for him to think seriously and decide if he’s the right person.” for work at the moment. “
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