Rebel Conservative MPs’ plans to oust Boris Johnson next week have gone further in disarray, with some worried that potential candidates to replace the prime minister may not be ready to launch their bids.
A MP hoping to defeat Johnson is now urging his comrades to withdraw their letters of censure to avoid provoking an “accidental” vote as early as Monday or Tuesday, The Guardian has learned.
The speed of the backlash against the Prime Minister following Sue Gray’s report on Covid’s breach of the law on Downing Street has taken many by surprise, given the rebels’ lack of coordination. More than 45 Conservative MPs have publicly questioned Johnson’s ability to hold office.
Some MPs told the Guardian they intended to send a letter calling for a vote on Prime Minister Johnson on Monday, to reach the 54-letter threshold needed to trigger a vote, but avoid overshadowing the Queen’s platinum jubilee this month. weekend.
However, those who are playing war games as such voting would occur are in conflict over the best time to force it.
Some said they were concerned that leadership candidates had not yet mobilized their supporters to call the 180 votes needed for Johnson to lose a no-confidence vote.
They fear that if Johnson narrowly wins the contest, he will refuse to resign and will be protected for a year. They argue that MPs should stop sending letters until after two by-elections on June 23, seen as a test of the prime minister’s ability to win the election.
A source said Johnson still had the cabinet “around his finger” and that ministers considered potential successors were “too scared”.
Others are frustrated that the campaign to oust Johnson has been dragged on for months and believe the consequences of the Gray report are the time to challenge his authority. They hope that the prospect of a limited victory for Johnson, which could leave the Tory party paralyzed in the run-up to the next general election, is enough to convince ministers to vote against him.
An agitated rebel lamented the lack of coordination among those who want to get Johnson out, saying, “Give me a bad Bond, for God’s sake.”
Former Conservative leader William Hague predicted that MPs were “moving towards a vote … next week or towards the end of June”.
Robert Hayward, a conservative couple and poll expert, said: “If I were a conspirator, I’d probably want it to continue for a while because it allows for longer conversations. [and] in Tiverton and Honiton, it will be key.
“If I were a Boris fan, I’d probably want to get him out of the way as soon as possible because 54 is relatively easy. One hundred and eighty, which is the number one vote of confidence, is something different.”
Johnson’s allies argue that he is likely to face a vote of confidence, with Home Secretary Priti Patel calling the campaign against him a “showshow” and telling the rebels: “Forget it. “. He said: “We have to focus on doing our job. Our job is to meet people’s priorities. They will not thank the Conservative Party for talking about itself at a time when people have anxieties, worries, apprehensions.” .
A government source said that “those who complain do not understand how much British policy has changed since 2016, and Boris has been at the center of this”, adding: “The parliamentary party as a whole understands this, and for they support that. ”
However, not all members of the government payroll can be trusted to support Johnson in a leadership contest. It is understood that at least two have privately sent letters of censure.
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Andrew Bridgen, a senior MP who said he recently resent his letter after withdrawing it when the war in Ukraine began, speculated in a message to a conservative WhatsApp group that the number 10 s’ would report Monday morning that the 54-letter threshold had been reached.
In a message seen by the Guardian, he said he thought a vote of confidence would be held on Wednesday and added: “The prime minister may win, but the vote against will be bigger than he expects, as it is a secret ballot.”
Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Deputies and the MP to whom the letters are sent, declined earlier this week to comment on whether the threshold was closed. “I will keep my discretion,” he said.