Rishi Sunak is facing a third by-election as fresh turmoil engulfed the Tories after another close Boris Johnson ally resigned from the Commons in an apparent revenge attack aimed at creating “chaos” for the prime minister.
Capping a tumultuous 24 hours, Mr Johnson’s friend Nigel Adams announced on Saturday that he was following the ex-PM and the former culture secretary Nadine Dorries in quitting parliament with “immediate effect”.
Senior Tories told The Independent that Mr Johnson and his “bitter” associates are “lashing out” in an attempt to damage the Sunak administration, as some speculated that they could coordinate a string of by-elections this summer.
But Sunak loyalists insist that the prime minister will be relieved at having a chance to draw a line under the “Boris madness” and reshape the party in his own image – however harmful potential by-election losses could prove to be in the short term.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove hit back after Mr Johnson’s angry tirade, in which the former prime minister declared that Mr Sunak is not leading a “properly Conservative government”. Asked what a Tory government would look like, Mr Gove told an event hosted by Tortoise: “The current one.”
The levelling-up secretary also defended the privileges committee, which is expected to hand Mr Johnson a suspension of more than 10 days, after the former PM described it as a “kangaroo court”. Mr Gove said: “I think we’ve got to trust their judgement.”
In an explosive move set to escalate tensions further, the government published late on Saturday the list of new peers sent to the prime minister by the official body which vets appointments. Its shows that after it carried out its checks, key allies of Mr Johnson’s including Ms Dorries were not on the list.
At the same Mr Johnson’s allies ramped up pressure on the prime minister.Former Tory party chairman Jake Berry asked “who is in charge here… The voters or the blob?” as he tweeted: “You voted for Boris Johnson - the establishment has forced him out.”
Mr Johnson was accused of “Trumpian” behaviour after claiming he was forced out by a witch-hunt, with both former allies and senior figures in his party accusing the ex-PM of disrespecting parliament and talking “rubbish”.
The former Tory leader was warned he could face even more charges next week if the privileges committee thinks his “narcissistic” resignation statement amounts to contempt of parliament, while the opposition urged Mr Sunak to revoke Mr Johnson’s resignation honours.
The news of Mr Adams’s exit on Saturday appeared to confirm speculation that Mr Johnson and his closest remaining allies could coordinate a series of by-elections. But some senior Conservatives said they were “delighted” at the meltdown in the Boris camp.
One senior Tory MP told The Independent: “This is the grand finale of the Boris madness. Good riddance. There will be short-term pain, but then we can clear the decks after the by-elections and start afresh. I think Rishi will be pleased to get rid of him.”
The leading Conservative, who is close to Mr Sunak, said: “There’s no coherent logic to [the resignations] – he and Nadine are just spitting the dummy, lashing out to create chaos for Rishi. It’s partly they’re bitter about the peerages, and also want to cause trouble if they were going to go anyway.”
Tory peer Gavin Barwell said that the three resignations in the last 24 hours were looking like a “coordinated attempt” to damage Mr Sunak and the government. “Bridges well and truly burnt,” the former No 10 chief of staff tweeted.
The Johnson camp is thought to be angry at the removal of Ms Dorries and former climate minister Alok Sharma from the former PM’s resignation list after they were lined up for peerages. No 10 was said to be desperate to avoid by-elections as it tries to claw back momentum.
But Downing Street has insisted the list was accepted by Mr Sunak from the House of Lords Appointments Commission, and that it was passed on “unamended” to Buckingham Palace for final approval.
A report in The Sunday Times said Mr Johnson had assured Ms Dorries that she would be on the honours list following a clear-the-air meeting with Mr Sunak last week, messaging Ms Dorries to tell her: “You’re on it.”
Mr Johnson left the meeting apparently assured that his original list would be approved, including peerages for Ms Dorries, Mr Sharma and two Tory donors, David Ross and Stuart Marks – all of whom were shorn from the final list. But Mr Sunak is said to have told Mr Johnson: “I don’t want you to leave this room thinking I have made you a promise.”
The authors of the privileges committee report that prompted Mr Johnson’s resignation are now said to be “contemplating” a 20-day suspension, having told the former PM it would “significantly exceed” 10 days.
According to The Sunday Times, the committee of MPs were convinced to impose a harsher punishment on Mr Johnson because of evidence submitted to the police about possible rule-breaking at Chequers, which was also shared with the group.
Sir Chris Bryant, a senior Labour MP, warned that Mr Johnson’s “narcissistic rant” on Friday evening could land him in more trouble with the privileges committee. The committee is set to meet on Monday to discuss how quickly to publish the report on whether Mr Johnson lied to parliament over Partygate.
“The report still stands and will have to go to the House,” Sir Chris told the BBC. “They may want to conclude that there has been an additional contempt of parliament, by the way that Boris Johnson has behaved in the last 24 hours and in the attacks on the committee.”
Will Walden, a former chief of staff to Mr Johnson, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that his former boss “knew he probably would lose a by-election” if he was suspended for more than 10 days – a punishment that would trigger a recall petition and potentially a fresh vote in his constituency.
The former adviser added: “So by going all guns blazing, he is able to avoid defeat; he is able to blame pretty much everyone else, including, it seems, anyone that voted Remain in 2016. He’s convinced by his own truth, in his own righteousness – there’s no apology, no taking responsibility. It all feels very Trumpian.”
Former minister David Davis said most Tory MPs were “fairly sure [Mr Johnson] misled the house” and that he would be facing serious punishment. “He did so many, many times, and he did so knowing that these parties had occurred and he’d been at some of them,” he told GB News.
Johnson ally Nadhim Zahawi moved quickly to quash the idea that he might be the next to resign, saying: “Any speculation that I might be stepping down from my seat is untrue.” Johnson loyalist Andrea Jenkyns tweeted: “I am certainly NOT resigning.”
Meanwhile, veteran Brexit supporter and Boris ally Sir Bill Cash announced on Saturday that he would step down at the next election.
It comes as Labour and the Lib Dems wasted no time capitalising on Tory woes by kicking off their by-election campaigns in Mr Johnson’s Uxbridge constituency, where he had only a narrow majority over Labour.
They also began campaigning in Ms Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire seat, which has a Tory majority of 24,000. Labour finished in second place there in 2019. Mr Adams also has, on paper, a large majority of over 20,000 in Selby and Ainsty, where he finished ahead of Labour in 2019.
But with the Tories lagging as far as 20 points behind in the polls, opposition parties are likely to regard the by-elections as a chance to deal a series of blows to the beleaguered government.
Labour’s national campaign coordinator Shabana Mahmood denied there would be any pact with the Lib Dems to boost the chances of by-election victories. “There are no conversations,” she told Sky News. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey also ruled out a formal pact with Labour.
