Three retreats after losing the by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield would mean that Mr Johnson’s actual majority in the Municipalities would be reduced by 10, which would make it much easier for the Tory rebels to defeat the government.
This will be the biggest Conservative retreat since 2019, when Heidi Allen, Anna Subri and Sarah Wallaston joined Change UK. The latter two lost their seats in the 2019 elections, while Ms. Allen chose not to run again.
Mr Johnson, who is down in opinion polls and struggling to recover from the party scandal in recent months, said on Monday that he believed he had a “new term” to lead the Tories because he had won a vote of confidence.
Speaking at the G7 summit in Germany, he said he was “focused on 1,000 percent” on providing a “massive, massive agenda” for the country and was not considering his position. He added: “No one is giving up such a privilege.”
On Monday, two Conservative lawmakers believed to be considering deserting said they planned to cross the floor.
Dehena Davison, MP from the Bishop of Auckland, said: “For the avoidance of doubt – again – I do not deviate from the devil. For those anonymous colleagues who spread such rumors, my door is always open for chat. “
Caroline Knox, a senior court judge who has criticized Mr Johnson in recent months, said: “Neither do I – just to put that on the record.”
The news that three Tory MPs could cut the word follows the dismissal of Christian Wakeford, an MP from Bury South, in January.
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