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All the Tory MPs who have publicly called for Boris Johnson to quit over partygate

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Nato and Poland.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson boarding a plane.

Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

  • Johnson is under fresh pressure over partygate after more Tory MPs called for him to quit.
  • Steve Baker and Mark Harper this week added their names to the list of backbenchers saying he should go. 
  • MPs believe the threshold for a vote of no confidence could be reached this summer.

Boris Johnson suffered another bruising day in the Commons on Thursday as he came under further pressure over his handling of partygate.

MPs approved a Labour motion that means the prime minister will now be investigated by the Commons' Privileges Committee over whether he misled MPs about several lockdown-busting parties held by government officials — also known as "partygate" — a potential resigning matter under the ministerial code.

The move came after the government tried to delay the inquiry, only to make a U-turn hours later amid a brewing Tory backlash.

But while the prime minister avoided suffering a rebellion on the vote, the debate added to the number of backbench Conservative MPs publicly calling for Johnson to go.

Several backbenchers told Insider they believed a vote in Johnson's leadership — which will be triggered when 54 letters of no confidence are submitted to 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady — could now take place this summer. 

One MP told Insider: "I think he's finished — this is the start of the beginning of the end for sure ... [but] it's always the silent assassin who gets you." 

Here's the current tally of MPs who have spoken out: 

Steve Baker

The Brexiteer and former minister — who just two days previously had backed Johnson — said he had changed his mind when it become clear that the prime minister's contrition "only lasted as long as it took to get out of the headmaster's study."

The highly influential MP told the Commons: "The prime minister now should be long gone … Really, the prime minister should just know the gig's up." 

William Wragg

The chairman of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee had previously described Johnson's position as untenable.

The MP for Hazel Grove reiterated that view on Thursday as he explained he had submitted a letter of no confidence in December because the prime minister was "no longer fit to govern."

Anthony Mangnall

The MP for Totnes confirmed he still had no confidence in the prime minister, having submitted a letter to Brady in February.

Speaking in the Commons Thursday, Mangnall said he forgave Johnson for making mistakes "but I do not forgive him for misleading the House."

Mark Harper

As a former chief whip, Harper's intervention on Tuesday is also significant, although not entirely unexpected given his past comments.

Responding to Johnson's statement about the fixed penalty notice he received for a birthday party that breached the rules, the Forest of Dean MP told the Commons: "I am very sorry to have to say this, but I no longer think he is worthy of the great office he holds." Harper then published his letter of no confidence. 

Craig Whittaker

The former whip, who quit his post in February, said both Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak should "do the right thing and resign" after they received their fines, telling LBC: "You can't make rules and then have one rule for us and one for them." 

However, the Calder Valley MP says submitting a letter would be "futile" because he believed Johnson would ultimately win any confidence vote.

Nigel Mills

The Amber Valley MP called for Johnson and Sunak to resign after they were fined, saying: "I don't think his position is tenable," The Guardian reported.

Mills submitted a no confidence letter this month, saying: "I don't think the prime minister can survive or should survive, breaking the rules he put in place and was on TV every few nights reminding us all that we should observe."

Tobias Ellwood

The former minister and chair of the Defence Committee also submitted a letter of no confidence back in February, and following Thursday's debate tweeted that colleagues should "stop drinking the Kool Aid".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there would be "a steady trickle of letters, of resignations" and that a confidence vote was "now when, not if."

 

Caroline Nokes

There is little love lost between Johnson and the former Home Office minister, who lost the whip during the late-stage Brexit wars of 2019.

She has previously called for the prime minister to resign and recently revealed she had submitted a no confidence letter "a very long time ago."

Gary Streeter

The South West Devon MP called for Johnson to go in February, saying then that he had submitted a no confidence letter.

"I cannot reconcile the pain and sacrifice of the vast majority of the British public during lockdown with the attitude and activities of those working in Downing Street," he wrote.

Peter Aldous

The Waveney MP caused a stir in February when he revealed he had submitted a letter of no confidence.

On Thursday night, he confirmed he had not withdrawn it and told ITV: "It would be best for the country, and indeed the Conservative Party, if there was a change in leader."

Aaron Bell

In January, the Newcastle-under-Lyme MP asked if the prime minister thought he was "a fool" for having followed strict lockdown rules for his grandmother's funeral. He later revealed he had submitted a letter of no confidence. 

David Davis

The former Brexit secretary, another staunch Leaver, surprised a packed PMQs in January by telling Johnson: "In the name of God, go."

The veteran MP has stood by his comment, but since suggested that dealing with the crisis in Ukraine should take priority.

Neil Hudson

Similar thoughts have been expressed by the Penrith MP, who issued a statement after Johnson received his fine, saying: "The fact that the law makers went on to break those very laws they brought in to keep us all safe is deeply damaging for our democracy."

"That situation is untenable moving forward," he added. "That said, I do not believe it would be prudent or responsible to change the leadership of the Government in the midst of the international crisis that is the war in Ukraine." 

Karen Bradley

Former Cabinet minister Karen Bradley has stopped short of calling for Johnson to go, but after Johnson's fine was issued, she said: "I do wish to make it clear that if I had been a minister found to have broken the laws that I passed, I would be tendering my resignation now."

Andrew Mitchell

Mitchell, who has butted heads with the Government over cuts to overseas aid, said in January that Johnson "no longer enjoys my support," having previously backed him.

Nick Gibb

Nick Gibb, the long-standing schools minister who was sacked by Johnson in September 2021, wrote in The Telegraph on February 4 that Johnson should resign. 

Tim Loughton

The former children's minister said in January that he "regretfully" believed Johnson should go. 

Back in the fold

The list is growing, but it is not all bad news for the prime minister — some of those who have previously spoken out against him have since returned to the fold.

Andrew Bridgen, who was one of the first to submit a letter, has withdrawn his, saying now was not the time to change leader given the instability caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Others, including Sir Roger Gale and Douglas Ross, have also walked back their criticism.

But Tory backbenchers have previously told Insider that the war should not deter colleagues from ejecting Johnson. 

One said: "We changed prime minister in World War II and the Gulf War — I don't think you can use the current situation as an excuse to do nothing."

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