The North East's Tory MPs could be biding their time before calling for Boris Johnson to quit, believes a politics expert.
As of yet, none of them have publicly joined the growing chorus of disapproval against the Prime Minister following the 'partygate' revelations.
Prominent Red Wall MP Dehenna Davison who represents Bishop Auckland last month denied she was one of the ringleaders in the 'pork pie' plot to oust Johnson.
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She dismissed as "bonkers" suggestions that she was involved in the mutiny which gained its name as it was believed to involve Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland and Melton, home of the Melton Mowbray pork pie.
And, while last month a number of North East Tory MPs expressed their disappointment when Mr Johnson admitted attending a Downing Street party in breach of his own Covid regulations, they have made no calls for him to quit. Yet.
This is despite a number of developments since then including fresh reports that the Metropolitan Police, which was given 300 pictures by Sue Gray for its investigation into Covid rule-breaking social gatherings, has a photograph of Johnson holding a can of beer at his lockdown birthday party in June 2020.
It has been suggested that one of the reasons they've kept their powder dry so far is the knowledge that they only won their previously staunch Labour seats due to Johnson's unique appeal to North East voters.
However Dr Alistair Clark, Reader in Politics at Newcastle University, said that explanation is now wearing thin.
"The relationship between them and Boris Johnson has always been transactional and I'm not sure that level of loyalty is there," he said.
He added that politics is a "tough game" and some times you have to move on to survive.
As well as the furore sounding 'partygate' there was the reaction to Johnson's claim that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile when he was Director of Public Prosecutions.
This saw some of Mr Johnson's closest advisers quit, including Munira Mirza who had been at his side for 14 years.
We emailed all 10 of the North East Tory MPs on Saturday morning and asked if they supported Boris Johnson or if they think he should resign as Prime Minister. None had replied by the suggested deadline.
Dr Clark's colleague at Newcastle University, Senior Lecturer in British Contemporary History Dr Martin Farr, suggested a reason why they might have kept quiet so far.
"I suspect they are just waiting to see how this very febrile situation plays out," he said.
Dr Farr said one of the main issues for them to consider was how "badly tarnished" the Prime Minister's brand was now and the effect this had on them.
"His appeal to voters in the North was he was not like ordinary politicians, he was different and like one of them.
"But now he has just reinforced the notion that he is not different, that it's one rule for him and one for the voters, he's just like all the other politicians. It is really, really damaging."
Polls are already suggesting that Labour voters in North East seats who defected to the Tories at the 2019 General Election might be returning.
Any moves to replace Mr Johnson are still largely being conducted in the background. None of the Tory heavyweights have thrown their hat in the ring.
"Traditionally the first challenger has never ended up winning the prize," said Dr Clark.
It was something Michael Heseltine found out to his cost when he challenged Margaret Thatcher in 1990 for the Tory party leadership. While it precipitated her demise, John Major eventually replaced her.
"We're seeing Rishi Sunak starting to distance himself from Johnson but it's all a bit tentative," said Dr Clark.
He thinks Mr Johnson might hang on until May's local elections, however if the Tories suffers huge losses it might force the party's hand.
Dr Farr thinks he'll be gone by the end of the year. "So much has gone wrong."
He said the culture around the Prime Minister of subterfuge and bluster should have come as a surprise to no-one as that is what Mr Johnson has always been about.
"He just won't change because he can't change."
