But Damian Green, the former deputy prime minister, urged cabinet ministers to act against Johnson.
“If this long agony for all concerned, from the Prime Minister down, has to be brought to mind one way or another, maybe someone in the cabinet would like to take some action,” he told Andrew Neil Show.
“The way to bring it to mind would be for one or more cabinet members to make the decision to say, ‘Look, we can’t go on like this.'”
Meanwhile, Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the select committee on foreign affairs, wrote in an article for Conservative Home that last Thursday’s by-elections defeated the message that “the Conservative Party must change and the shortcomings exposed in the party organization must be resolved.
Mr. Tugendhat encouraged the Conservative Campaign (CCHQ) headquarters to strengthen its ties with local parties, give new powers to associations and allow activists to have a greater influence on politics.
In January, Mr Tugendhat became the first Conservative MP to say he would throw his hat in the ring in the event of a leadership contest.