Boris Johnson thinks he is still an 'asset' as MPs plot his exit

The Prime Minister has not had any further fixed penalty notices [FPN] handed to him by the Metropolitan Police this week for lockdown rule breaking, Downing Street confirmed, but the local council elections are looming and some in Johnson’s party braced to lose 800 seats across England alone.

Things don’t look too good for the Scottish Tories and leader Douglas Ross either, after a poll predicted them falling into third place behind Scottish Labour.

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With under two weeks to go until voters go to the polls, Johnson had faced questions over his premiership and rule-breaking in Number 10 during last week’s official trip to India.

The SNP have said the PM's latest assertion he is an asset makes it clear that Johnson is living in a "fantasy land". 

The full version of civil servant Sue Gray’s report on rule breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall is allegedly so damning and critical of the PM that he would be forced to resign when it is released.

And Labour have accused the PM of “running scared” from MPs after it emerged he will not be making a Commons statement after the visit even though it is customary to do so after major foreign trips.

Johnson appeared rattled as he dodged questions about the debate on whether or not he misled the House of Commons on Thursday, which later referred him to the Committee of Privileges for investigation, in an interview with Sky News last week.

Johnson has hit the campaign trail ahead of the local elections

Now he is back in the country, Johnson has joined the campaign trail, visiting Bury FC at their ground in Gigg Lane in Manchester on Monday.

But could the Prime Minister be setting himself up for an own goal with his constant refusal to quit?

Despite reports that the threshold of letters sent to the 1922 committee calling for Johnson to resign could be within sight - Johnson remained adamant that he was not going anywhere.

If 54 letters are sent to 1922 chairman Sir Graham Brady, a leadership challenge is triggered. And some Tory MPs have admitted that they are awaiting the outcome of the local authority elections before making their final decision.

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But Johnson still thinks he has the star power to win in the May election, telling journalists he is still an “asset”.

In the 2019 General Election, Johnson took the Tories from a minority to majority government in Westminster, breaking through many “Red Wall” seats which were historically Labour and turning them blue for the first time.

Asked if he was still an asset to the Tories in the elections on the campaign trail in Bury, Johnson said: “I’m not denying that.”

He added: “I think that the greatest asset the Conservatives have are Conservative values and the way that Conservative councillors up and down the country deliver taxpayer value.

“That’s what really matters and I think that’s what people will be focused on. And we will be fighting for every vote right up ’til polling day.”

Johnson allies are concerned a loss at the local elections will force Johnson to go

An SNP Spokesperson said: “If the Prime Minister thinks he’s escaped public scrutiny over his lockdown lawbreaking he’s living in a fantasy land. 

“The public won’t forget or forgive that while they were making great sacrifices adhering to the rules the Prime Minister made, he was having boozy parties in Downing Street.

“Boris Johnson and his partygate saga is now a distraction from the real issues millions of families are facing, like the cost of living crisis his government has been too mired in scandal to address. He must go and he must go now.”

"On May 5th voters in Scotland can send Boris Johnson and his toxic Tories a message that his behaviour and premiership is no longer acceptable by voting SNP."

Johnson's allies are reportedly worried that a bad result in the local elections will push more Tory MPs to call for his resignation and back a leadership contest.

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Technology minister Chris Philp acknowledged that tough times could be ahead for the party and PM, when he told Sky News: “Local elections in mid-term tend to be challenging for any government.”

The 800 seat loss lies on the extreme end of predictions, but at the realistic end of the scale the Tories could still drop between 150 and 250 seats out of the 4359 up for grabs in England.

And reportedly some MPs have already started to plan for Johnson’s exit. One former Johnson backer told the Mirror: “I think we’ve gone past the tipping point. He’s lost public trust and once that’s gone, it’s hard to win back”.

A Number 10 insider, who was cited as having seen the document, told The Times that Gray’s report is “excoriating” and will “make things incredibly difficult” for the Prime Minister.

Downing Street is said to be braced for the PM to receive a second fixed-penalty notice (FPN) after police reportedly began issuing fines relating to a “bring your own bottle” drinks event in the No 10 garden on May 20, 2020.

Johnson reportedly attended half of the 12 gatherings being probed by police.