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FIGHTING TALK
Boris savages ‘foolish’ rebels and urges party to unite to stop ‘disastrous’ Labour ahead of confidence vote TONIGHT
BORIS Johnson has warned Tory MPs against risking "utter disaster" under Labour by "foolishly" choosing to oust him tonight.
Just hours before a crunch confidence vote in his leadership, the defiant PM made a last-gasp plea for Conservative colleagues to stick by him.
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A secret ballot of Tory MPs between 6 and 8 this evening will decide Mr Johnson's fate, with the make-or-break result due at 9pm.
The bullish PM Boris Johnson today vowed to fight tooth and nail to squash the revolt to stay in Downing Street and "draw a line" under recent woes.
More than 100 Conservatives have so far publicly thrown their support behind the PM.
But a government resignation and series of searing interventions from rebels, including leadership rival Jeremy Hunt, have sparked a brutal Tory civil war.
If the size of the mutiny surpasses 180 MPs he will be kicked out of No10 and a fresh contest for the Tory crown will take place.
In a final heave to blunt the mutiny the PM tonight told assembled Tory MPs: "You all know what an incredible force we can be when we are united.
"The people in this room won the biggest electoral victory for the Conservatives for 40 years - under my leadership."
In dramatic developments:
- Leadership rival Jeremy Hunt broke cover to call for MPs to vote against the PM
- One Tory MP resigned from the government and declared himself a rebel
- More than 100 Conservatives publicly rowed in behind the PM
- Every member of the Cabinet came out to back Mr Johnson
- The PM will try to rally his troops at a meeting before the vote
- The Tory MP accused of rape will be allowed to vote
No10 today said the PM relished the "chance to end months of speculation and allow the Government to draw a line and move on."
He has also written to all MPs insisting it would be "destructive, decisive and distracting" to change leader now.
And in an eleventh hour push, the PM addressed the 1922 committee to win wavering MPs on board.
Dangling the prospect of electoral defeat, he said constant infighting would pave the way for a Sir Keir Starmer takeover.
He said: "They would be an utter disaster in office. Forced to erode our precious union by alliance with the SNP.
"And the only way we will let that happen is if we were so foolish as to descend into some pointless fratricidal debate about the future of our party."
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Mounting a Partygate defence of the PM afterwards, an ally added: "Is there anyone who hasn’t got pissed in their lives? Is there anyone who hasn’t had a drink to relax?"
Disgruntled rebels seized on spectators booing the PM this weekend as he attended a Platinum Jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral.
A steady drumbeat of rebellion has been building since the Sue Gray report into Partygate was published last month.
A lack of action to tackle the cost of living crisis has also been cited as rebel causes for Mr Johnson to go.
Ex-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt today became the most high profile rebel to stick the knife in as he revealed he will vote to ditch Boris.
In a stinging Twitter thread he blasted: "Anyone who believes our country is stronger, fairer & more prosperous when led by Conservatives should reflect that the consequence of not changing will be to hand the country to others who do not share those values.
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"Today’s decision is change or lose. I will be voting for change."
His searing intervention sparked a furious blue-on-blue war as BoJo loyalist Nadine Dorries let rip at Mr Hunt - saying his stewardship of the health service left us more vulnerable to Covid.
Former finance minister Jesse Norman also broke cover as the latest Tory MP to join the rebellion.
And John Penrose resigned as a government anti-corruption tsar, branding the confidence vote "the beginning of the end";.
However loyalists quickly formed a protective ring around the PM by declaring their support in tonight's vote.
BOJO ALLIES
More than 50 Tory MPs including every Cabinet Minister rowed in behind their leader.
Likely leadership runner Liz Truss was quick out of the blocks to declare her "100% backing".
Chancellor Rishi Sunak added: "From the vaccine rollout to our response to Russian aggression, the PM has shown the strong leadership our country needs."
No10 chief of staff Steve Barclay slammed rebellious colleagues and said "continued internal factionalisation would be indefensible".
Treasury chief Simon Clarke piled in: "I will be voting confidence in our Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"He honoured the wishes of the British people and delivered Brexit when no other major politician would or could have.
"Since then he has led us through Covid, delivering the fastest vaccine roll-out."
Speaking live from Westminster this morning, Sir Graham said he told the PM of the imminent leadership contest yesterday.
He revealed some plotters had post-dated their letter so it did not ruin the royal celebrations.
The 1922 chair said: "Some colleagues asked it should not be until the end of the Jubilee."
TORY JITTERS
Jittery MPs fear the PM is not the electoral superstar who won a landslide in 2019 and worry they will lose their seats if he leads the party into the next election.
Shock polls putting the Tories on course to lose two crunch byelections later this month have fanned fears.
A brutal briefing being shared warns the PM “is no longer an electoral asset and, if left in post, will lead the Party to a substantial defeat in 2024”.
They fear 160 Tory MPs could lose their seats with Boris still in No10 turning a “defeat into a landslide”.
"MPs are having to defend the indefensible, not for the sake of the party, but for one man."
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Mr Johnson has apologised for Partygate and begged the nation to move on so he can focus on the cost of living crisis and Ukraine.
WHAT IS A TORY NO CONFIDENCE VOTE?
TORY MPs wanting to remove and replace their leader can do so by calling a confidence vote in their leadership.
Under party rules a vote is triggered when 15 per cent of Conservative MPs - 54 currently - submit a letter of no confidence to 1922 committee chair Sir Graham Brady.
The secret vote is decided by a simple majority verdict, meaning the PM needs 180 of his colleagues to back him to stay in post.
If he does not bag victory, Mr Johnson will be removed as Tory leader and only stay on as prime minister while a fresh race to be his successor takes place.
Because of the number of MPs on the government payroll, Mr Johnson is expected to win the contest.
But anything other than a landslide will seriously wound him and could spell curtains for his premiership.
Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher both quit soon after winning their own confidence votes, while John Major limped on towards an election drubbing after winning his.
Mr Johnson has however signalled he will fight on regardless of the size of his victory.
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