Boris Johnson Has Been Hit With Another Resignation As Tory Confidence Votes Began Being Counted Tonight - Despite Begging MPs Not To Give Labour The Keys To Power By Unseating Him
Boris Johnson has been hit with another resignation as Tory confidence votes began being counted tonight - despite begging MPs not to give Labour the keys to power by unseating him.
As the last politicians queued to cast their ballots, John Lamont declared he is standing down as an aide to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in order to oppose the PM - following the example of Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross.
The last act of a day of high drama in Westminster is due at 9pm when the results are announced, 13 hours after backbench chief Graham Brady confirm that the PMs political enemies had reached the critical threshold for a referendum on his time in office.
Mr Johnson addressed his mutinous troops this afternoon and told them successful 'fratricide' would gift and his party an election win.
Speaking to the 1922 Committee earlier the PM begged them to recognise 'now is not the moment' for a coup.
But he had already been rocked by a series of huge blows following Sir Graham's intervention - including his own anti-corruption tsar quitting and rival Jeremy Hunt joining the bid to unseat him.
In a further twist this afternoon, Mr Ross declared that he will be voting for the PM to step down, having previously withdrawn a call for Mr Johnson to resign.
Boris Johnson has been hit with another resignation as Tory confidence votes began being counted tonight - despite begging MPs not to give Labour the keys to power by unseating him.
The PM is pictured leaving the Commons after the vote
Mr Johnson addressed his mutinous troops this afternoon and told them successful 'fratricide' would gift Keir Starmer (pictured leaving Parliament this evening) and www.solitaryisle.shop his party an election win
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MPs had until 8pm to cast their votes for or against Mr Johnson continuing as Conservative Party leader, with the result expected to be announced at 9pm.
The first person in the queue was Sir Peter Bottomley, the longest-serving male MP in the Commons and a moderate critic of the PM.
And Theresa May was an early voter, arriving in a ball gown and snazzy heels ahead of a Jubilee dinner she is attending later.
Mr Johnson made a final plea for unity at the meeting of the parliamentary party, telling them he is the only leadership option with a 'credible plan' for how to move forward.
'I've yet to see a credible plan from anyone else,' he said in a a 26-minute behind-closed-doors appearance.
'I will lead you to victory again.'
The PM also faced some hostile questions, but insisted Conservatives should not waste time on 'a pointless fratricidal debate about the future of the party'. MPs said he made a vague allusion to tax cuts - being demanded by many Tories - but was 'not specific'.
He risked stoking Partygate fury by insisting he was right to attend leaving dos in Downing Street and www.solitaryisle.shop would 'do it again'.
There were cheers when senior backbencher Charles Walker said Mr Johnson had 'driven him wild' at times.
Outside the meeting, a senior Tory source caused a storm by swiping that the media should find 'other interesting things to talk about' than the row over Whitehall lockdown breaches.
'Is there anyone here who hasn't got p***ed in their lives?' the source told waiting journalists. 'Is there anyone here who doesn't like a glass of wine.'
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox news halfRHS" data-version="2" id="mol-656471f0-e587-11ec-9a2e-abb166c1907d" website begs Tory MPs NOT to oust him ahead of crunch vote TONIGHT
