FORMER Conservative leader Michael Howard has called for Boris Johnson to resign.
He told the BBC's World at One the party and the UK would be "better off under new leadership" after two devastating by-election results for the Tories in Wakefield and Devon.
Lord Howard added: "Members of the Cabinet should very carefully consider their positions."
In Tiverton and Honiton the Liberal Democrats overturned a 24,000 Tory majority to win, while Labour reclaimed Wakefield.
The staggering results are leading more Conservative figures to question the leadership of Johnson after 148 Tory MPs went against him in a confidence vote earlier this month.
Johnson is technically safe for a year following that vote, but Tory MP Andrew Brigden has announced he will be standing for the executive role of the 1922 Committee in a bid to change the current rules.
He told GB News he was going to "throw his hat in the ring" when nominations open next week on a "manifesto of rule change".
He added: "Clearly if a majority of the Committee are elected on that mindset then the rules can be changed."
Howard, who led the Tories between 2003 and 2005, has not been an outspoken critic of Johnson’s in the past but did sack him as a shadow minister for lying.
The 1922 committee treasurer Geoffrey Clifton-Brown also told BBC Radio 4 that Tories "need explanations" from Johnson and said they could move against him.
That didn’t take long: 1922 committee treasurer Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (on a dodgy phone line) tells @BBCr4today Tories need explanations from Johnson and could move against him again, opening door to rewriting party rules to allow a new confidence vote. https://t.co/eMiXOO8GEj
— Tim Ross (@TimRoss_1) June 24, 2022
The Prime Minister vowed to “keep going” after his authority was dealt a series of blows, including the resignation of Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden on Friday.
Dowden quit as Conservative Party co-chairman saying he and Tory supporters were “distressed and disappointed by recent events” and telling Johnson that “someone must take responsibility”.
Speaking 4000 miles away at a Commonwealth summit in Rwanda, Johnson vowed to “listen” to voters after losing the by-elections.
READ MORE: Anas Sarwar claims Wakefield win could cause 'huge shift' in Scotland
With 324 Tory MPs elected in 2019 with smaller majorities than in the Tiverton and Honiton constituency, MPs including Clifton-Brown expressed their concerns that they could lose their seats at the next general election.
Clifton-Brown retained his Cotswolds seat with a majority of 20,000 at the 2019 General Election but accepted it would be a challenge to retain it next time round.
“I think, factually, if I were to run under a bus today it would be difficult to hold my seat. There’s no doubt about that,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Speaking to broadcasters, Johnson said he would take responsibility, but insisted the cost-of-living crisis was the most important issue for voters and it was “true that, in mid-term, governments post-war lose by-elections”.
“It’s absolutely true we’ve had some tough by-election results. They’ve been, I think, a reflection of a lot of things, but we’ve got to recognise voters are going through a tough time at the moment,” he said at the conference centre in Kigali.
“I think, as a government, I’ve got to listen to what people are saying – in particular to the difficulties people are facing over the cost of living, which, I think, for most people is the number one issue.
“We’ve got to recognise there is more we’ve got to do and we certainly will – we will keep going, addressing the concerns of people until we get through this patch.”
Dowden, who was due to appear on the morning media round for the Government before resigning, said in his letter to Johnson that the by-elections “are the latest in a run of very poor results for our party”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel