Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote of confidence this afternoon.

Local MP Jeremy Wright called on Mr Johnson to resign last week, one of 28 Conservative MPs to publicly do so.

The vote has been triggered today after 54 Tory members submitted letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee.

Speculation of a possible vote has been growing since the publication of Sue Gray's report into the Partygate scandal, which Mr Wright said had caused "real and lasting damage" to the Government's reputation.

And whilst the MP for Kenilworth and Southam said there was still no conclusive proof that the PM knowingly lied to Parliament, he said Mr Johnson must resign "for the good of this and future governments".

"If leadership is in part about setting the right tone for the organisation you lead, the tone represented by the routine disregard for the spirit, and often the letter of the Covid rules which Sue Gray describes betrayed at best a casual and at worst a contemptuous attitude to the sacrifices made and distress felt by the many who observed rigorously both spirit and letter of those rules," he added.

"I find it impossible to accept that the Prime Minister does not bear some personal responsibility for that tone."

But in his statement last Monday the MP for Kenilworth and Southam, who was knighted in the Jubilee Honours List for his political and public service, did not say whether he would submit a letter of no-confidence in the PM.

advertisement

Whilst a statement from the 1922 Committee today said the threshold for a vote "has been exceeded", it has not been revealed who submitted letters.

How Does the Vote Work?

A confidence vote was triggered today after 15 per cent (54) of Tory MPs submitted letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady.

Conservative MPs will have all day to cast their vote in the secret ballot - a colleague can vote for them by proxy if they are away from Westminster.

There would need to be 180 votes of no-confidence in Mr Johnson for him to be unseated.

The 1922 Committee leader is then expected to announce the results of the vote this evening to MPs and the press.