By Ben Kerrigan-
Former cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt(pictured) has urged Tory MPs to oust prime minister Boris Johnson in Monday’s vote on his leadership, after submission of letters by 54 Mps expressing no confidence in Johnson’s leadership were handed to chair of the 1922 Parliamentary Committee, Sir Graham Brady.
Hunt told his colleagues that the Tory party have not offered the integrity and competence the country deserves as the former health secretary said he would be “voting for change” in the confidence ballot, in reaction to the partygate scandal.
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Mr Johnson will be ousted from office and a contest will be held to replace him as leader of the party and PM if he looses the al important vote on Monday night.
Conservative Mps totalling 180 will have to vote against Mr Johnson to topple him and force him out of Downing Street- an unlikely but possible outcome.
The vote is taking place in Parliament until 20.00 BST, with a result announced shortly after 9 pm, In a meeting of Tory MPs in Parliament before the vote, the prime minister warned that a “pointless fratricidal debate” risked letting Labour into government and promised that “the best is yet to come”.
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He hinted at tax cuts and pointed to previous achievements, such as delivering Brexit and support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Johnson has a huge majority in the Commons and is likely to see the vote through, but with his leadership more damaged than previously.
Former Brexit minister Steve Baker said although the PM had made a “strong case” for his leadership and was likely to win, he would still vote against him.
In a letter sent to Tory MPs earlier, Mr Johnson said putting their confidence in him would “put an end to the media’s favourite obsession” and allow his government to focus on voters’ priorities.
Confirmation of the no-confidence vote comes after more than a week of speculation over the PM’s future.
An interim version of critical report into lockdown parties written by senior official Sue Gray and published in January, prompted a trickle of Tory MPs to urge Mr Johnson to stand down.
But the full version, which laid bare the scale of Covid rule-breaking in No 10, has led to renewed calls within the party for him to resign.
There has also been unhappiness within the party over tax rises and the government’s response to rising living costs.
Fellow Tory MP John Penrose also called on Mr Johnson to resign, adding he was resigning from a role as his anti-corruption champion.
In a letter posted on Twitter, he added the “only fair conclusion” from Ms Gray’s Partygate report was that Mr Johnson had broken the ministerial rulebook’s provisions on leadership.
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