He also promised to provide new tax cuts, but did not give details of which taxes and when.
There were new calls on Thursday for Mr Johnson’s resignation with warnings from two former Tory leaders, Lord Howard and Lord Hague.
Lord Hague said the party was facing an electoral “catastrophe” and called on cabinet ministers to reconsider their positions.
Lord Howard said: “I think the party and, more importantly, the country would be better off under a new leadership now.
However, a close ally of Johnson told The Telegraph: “You will have to pull him by the nails.
Following Mr Dowden’s resignation, the Prime Minister spoke with a number of senior cabinet ministers and was reassured that he maintained their support, The Telegraph reported.
Among them were Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, Steve Barkley, his chief of staff, Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, Priti Patel, the interior minister, and Liz Truss, the foreign minister.
Ms. Patel and Mr. Raab intervened to cover the morning round of broadcasts to be held by Mr. Dowden.
Officials number 10 are believed to be confident that cabinet ministers are no longer on the verge of resignation. But even so, it is understood that the long-planned relocation has been postponed. Now it is not expected until after the parliamentary holiday for summer vacation on July 21.
An ally told The Telegraph: “He needs time to work, if he needs other changes and if so, why and if so, who. Realistically, we’re pausing before we sort this out. “
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