Former Cabinet Secretary Andrea Leadsom has criticized the “leadership failure” of Boris Johnson, the latest in a series of high-ranking Conservative figures to cast doubt on the prime minister’s future.
The former business secretary, who has twice run for party leadership, did not call for Johnson’s resignation, but said individual MPs will decide how best to restore confidence.
In a letter to his constituents, Leadsom said he believed it was “extremely unlikely that senior leaders would not be aware of what was happening.”
“Therefore, I agree with Sue Gray’s findings that there have been major leadership failures, both political and official, at No. 10 and in the Cabinet Office,” she wrote.
The South Northamptonshire MP added: “Each of my fellow Conservative MPs and I now have to decide individually what is the right course of action that will restore confidence in our government.”
On Monday, the first day of the parliamentary recess, four more MPs called for Johnson’s resignation, including Jeremy Wright, a former attorney general. Several Conservative MPs told the Guardian that they believed the 54-letter threshold withdrawing support for Johnson was about to be crossed, or perhaps had already been crossed. This would trigger a secret ballot on whether they still have confidence in the Prime Minister.
At least 30 MPs have said the prime minister should resign or call a vote of confidence, but not all have confirmed they have sent a letter.
Elliot Colburn, a Conservative MP with a small majority against the Liberal Democrats, said he had sent a letter “some time ago”, while Nickie Aiken, MP for the cities of London and Westminster, whose council turned Labor this month, he asked Johnson to put an end to the situation by sending a letter of censure on himself. Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen also told voters he had resubmitted his letter.
On Tuesday, former Conservative leader William Hague said the prime minister was in “real trouble” and believed a vote of confidence in Johnson was imminent.
“A lot of people misinterpreted it, last week’s events, because the problems are over, Boris is free and it’s not really the mood of the Conservative party, which is very, very concerned about the content of ‘this report,’ he added. he told Times Radio.
“So I think the Conservative Party will have to resolve this one way or another, obviously because to be an effective party they either have to get together behind the Prime Minister they have, or they have to decide to do it. go out and I think they are moving towards next week or towards the end of June, they are moving towards a vote, it seems so ”.
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Sir Bob Neill, chairman of the select committee on justice, who has called for Johnson’s resignation, also told Times Radio that he believed public confidence could not be restored with Johnson in office.
Brillley and Chislehurst MP Neill said: “I am frankly surprised that some senior Downing Street officials are still in office after what was found, but ultimately political leadership, I’m afraid, stops with the Prime Minister, and the responsibility to the people ends with the Prime Minister. “
He said there was a “very strong feeling of losing faith, of losing confidence in the government,” and added: “I think then it feeds on the feeling that the government is unable to get out of this, a “It simply came to our notice then.
He added: “I think this requires a new impetus and a real push and I don’t think the situation that has unfortunately occurred at number 10 will leave the Prime Minister able to take that initiative.”