Tories lined up today to demand Boris Johnson “get out” after just 59% of his MPs voted confidence in him - a worse result than Theresa May.
The Prime Minister put out a 6am press release boasting he was hosting his Cabinet, something he does every Tuesday.
No10 said he would “set out his vision for the coming weeks” with new ‘red meat’ laws expected on human rights, an extension to the right-to-buy that was previously ditched, and a joint speech with Rishi Sunak.
But a string of his critics said he should go after MPs voted 211 to 148 to have confidence in him last night. Two prominent critics suggested the PM only had months left in office.
Theresa May won her 2018 no confidence vote 200-117 (63%) and announced her resignation five months later.
Margaret Thatcher won a similar vote 204-152 (57%) in 1990 but still quit within days after conversations with critics dubbed ‘men in grey suits’.
Former Conservative leader William Hague warned: "While Johnson has survived the night, the damage done to his premiership is severe.
"Words have been said that cannot be retracted, reports published that cannot be erased, and votes have been cast that show a greater level of rejection than any Tory leader has ever endured and survived.
"Deep inside, he should recognise that, and turn his mind to getting out in a way that spares party and country such agonies and uncertainties."
Tory critic Tobias Ellwood said in “normal times” the PM would have resigned and Boris Johnson had earned only a “stay of execution”, despite his allies’ “Trumpian attempt to mislead” about the result.
Defence Committee chairman Mr Ellwood told Sky News: “Unless we see improvements that are reflected in the polls in the next three to four months, then the party does what it does.
“It finds ways to move on, ruthless though that may be. The ball is now in No10’s court to improve.
“I think we’re talking a matter of months up to party conference to show that.”
Mr Ellwood called for Tory ministers to abandon red meat policies such as Channel 4 privatisation and tackle the crises hitting the UK.
Tory veteran Sir Roger Gale, a long-time critic of Mr Johnson, told the BBC : “I would be surprised if this PM was still in 10 Downing Street by the end of the Autumn.
“There are significant problems just down the road, there are by-elections coming up, there is after the summer the report of the Privileges Committee.”
Former aide to Mr Johnson Will Walden told Sky: “This is the worst possible result short of losing… He will be very worried”.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said Boris Johnson should "now leave with honour”, tweeting: “Last night's vote is worse in percentage terms than that suffered by Mrs May and on a par with Heseltine's challenge against Mrs Thatcher.”
Critics fear the Tories could bomb at two crunch by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton on June 23 - seats they both hold but could lose to Labour and the Lib Dems.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab insisted the by-elections “aren’t acid tests. By-elections never are.”
He also dismissed boos for the PM and his wife at the Jubilee celebrations over the weekend. "There were also cheers for the Prime Minister" alongside the boos, Mr Raab told LBC.
Mr Raab said: "I think we draw a line in the sand after this vote, it was clearly and decisively won.
"We move forward to deliver for the people of the country and that is the way we do the right thing by our constituents."
He added: "Of course, I think it is important to listen to those dissenting voices.
"But ultimately the Prime Minister won very clearly this vote of confidence, and now the important thing is to come together and focus on not talking to ourselves within Westminster but to come together, galvanise together, and talk to the country about their priorities.
"We've got a tax cut on National Insurance coming up in July, I think that's important to deliver for the people, and a cash grant for £400 on energy bills in October."
The Lib Dems today tabled a no confidence vote in the Prime Minister, and called for it to be debated in Parliament.
Such a vote is not binding and is very unlikely to be debated in the Commons, as it is only an ‘early day motion’ - effectively a petition by MPs.
It also does not have the same effect as a no-confidence vote in government.
But Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey called for the government to make debating time for it, to avoid looking like it was afraid of losing.
He said: “Every Conservative MP who has a shred of decency must back our motion and finally give Johnson the sack.
“Boris Johnson might have a slim majority among Conservative MPs, but it is clear that the British public no longer hold confidence in him. MPs from all parties must have the chance to make that clear.”
The early day motion says “that this House has no confidence in the Prime Minister because he has broken the Covid lockdown laws his Government introduced, misled Parliament and the public about it, and failed to take action to support millions of families in the midst of a cost of living emergency.”
Meanwhile Labour will try to force a vote this afternoon on tightening up ethics rules in the wake of Tory sleaze involving the MP Owen Paterson.
The party will urge Tory MPs to back a motion implementing a final report from November by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
The report recommended greater enforcement of the ‘revolving door’ between government and private sector jobs and ‘greater independence in the regulation of the Ministerial Code’.
It comes after Boris Johnson watered down the Ministerial Code to say a breach should not always lead a minister to resign.
Labour’s motion calls on the PM’s Chief of Staff Steve Barclay to make a statement on “progress made in implementing the recommendations by 20 July 2022”.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “Boris Johnson has downgraded, debased and demeaned standards in public life.
“He has sunk into the gutter but it’s now up to Conservative MPs to do the decent thing. It’s time to stop the rot.”
