Top Tory David Davis today ordered Boris Johnson to his face to resign, saying: "In the name of God, go."
The grandee, former Cabinet minister and former leadership contender offered the brutal ultimatum to the Prime Minister in a furious slapdown at PMQs.
In a blockbuster moment, he quoted words first said by Oliver Cromwell more than 350 years ago when he burst into Parliament with armed guards.
After Boris Johnson sought to blame staff for a BYOB No10 party, saying "nobody told me" it was against the rules, he said: “I spent weeks and months defending the Prime Minister against often angry constituents.
“I’ve reminded them of his success in delivering Brexit and the vaccines and many other things.
“But I expect my leaders to shoulder the responsibility for the actions they take. Yesterday, he did the opposite of that."
“So I’ll remind him of a quotation altogether too familiar to him of Leo Amery to Neville Chamberlain.
“You have sat there too long for all the good you have done. In the name of God, go.”
Mr Johnson replied: “I take full responsibility for everything done by this government and throughout the pandemic.”
Mr Davis later confirmed he had not actually submitted a letter of no confidence to the Tory 1922 Committee.
But he said: "I have been supporting him up to now, I voted for him (as leader) but I expect leadership. Leadership means shouldering responsibility even when it is blame and he didn't do it.
"Yesterday's interview was an attempt to escape responsibility, not shoulder it."
The PM's press secretary insisted he plans to fight the next election.
Asked if Mr Johnson would also fight any no-confidence vote in him by his party and whether he was the best man for the job, the press secretary said: "Yes.''
She said: "Our focus is very clear in terms of delivering the ambitious agenda that we have set out, that we were elected on in 2019, and we want to continue to work together as Conservatives to deliver this.''
It came as deluded Boris Johnson today raged he will stay and win the next election despite being mauled by a defection to Labour while Tory MPs plot his downfall.
The Prime Minister had a bruising PMQs clash with Keir Starmer over ‘wheelie suitcase of wine’ Downing Street parties as Labour’s leader declared: “At least the staff at No10 know how to pack a suitcase!”
The atmosphere was electric in the Commons chamber as MPs stomped feet and shouted after a ‘Red Wall’ MP only elected in 2019 crossed the floor.
In a devastating letter, Bury South’s Christian Wakeford told the PM: “You and the Conservative Party as a whole have shown themselves incapable of offering the leadership and government this country deserves".
Yet Mr Johnson, his straw hair sticking out wildly, fumed not only that he was refusing to resign - but would also stay, fight and win the next general election.
He said: “The Conservative Party won Bury South for the first time in generations under this Prime Minister, with an agenda of uniting and levelling up and delivering for the people of Bury South.
“And we will win again in Bury South at the next election - under this Prime Minister!”
Tory MPs are plotting a no confidence vote in the PM after he was accused of lying about No10 bashes - with claims they could hit the necessary 54 letters today.
Mr Johnson demanded his critics wait for an inquiry by Whitehall civil servant Sue Gray.
Despite No10 repeatedly claiming they have no involvement in Sue Gray’s report, Mr Johnson said the inquiry would be published “next week”.
The PM said “I apologised sincerely for any misjudgements that were made” - but stood by his bizarre claim he thought it was a work event.
Ex-Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said the PM’s defence was increasingly “absurd” adding: “It almost sounds like a lawyer wrote it”.
When Tory MPs tried to shout him down he claimed they’d been told to “bring their own booze” - earning cheers from Labour benches.
He goaded Boris Johnson by saying other Tories who believed in “decency” were welcome to defect.
“The Labour Party has changed - and so has the Conservative Party,” Sir Keir said.
He added: “Doesn’t the country deserve better than this out of touch, out of control, out of ideas and soon to be out of office Prime Minister?”
Yet asked if it was time for him to resign the PM replied bluntly: “No.”
Professor Martyn Bennett, an expert in history at Nottingham Trent University, said: “Davis credited the statement to Sir Leo Amery who said these same words to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in May 1940.
“It was part of the pressure put on Chamberlain in the wake of his failure to prevent war. Within days, Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister.
“However, these words were spoken in parliament almost 300 years earlier.
“Amery was quoting Oliver Cromwell from 20 April 1653 when with armed guards he burst into the one chamber parliament and turfed it out after it had failed to reform government and set new elections to replace itself.”
