A councillor who says he was groped by former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, says he was told by a colleague to hold off talking about it after instruction from Conservative headquarters.

“The wall of silence” – Owl

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk 

Daniel Cook said Mr Pincher, MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire, groped him in 2005 and 2006 which the BBC understands he denies.

But Mr Cook said the instruction led him to speak out about what happened.

The BBC has contacted national and local Conservative parties.

Tamworth Conservative Association and Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) was contacted on Friday afternoon and has yet to respond.

The BBC understands Mr Pincher strongly denies any such conduct relating to Mr Cook.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson then faced questions from his party about what he knew and his handling of the allegations. which led to him apologising for appointing him, admitting he had been made aware of a complaint in 2019.

Mr Pincher is facing a string of claims of inappropriate behaviour stretching back several years, which he has denied.

He has now spoken to BBC West Midlands political editor Elizabeth Glinka, again waiving his right to anonymity.

He said the incidents happened at his home when Mr Pincher, drunk on both occasions, knocked at his door.

Mr Pincher “groped his penis and said have you got any good porn”, Mr Cook said, and on the second occasion he “grabbed my backside and tried to cup my penis again”.

After laughing the first incident off as a “badly timed drunken joke”, the second time, Mr Cook reacted angrily and threw him out of his home and did not take any further action.

“In the morning when I had calmed down I genuinely thought, he’s a lonely, gay man who was seeking some company for want of a better term, trying it on,” he said.

Chris Pincher and Daniel Cook, here pictured in 2010, joined forces on several local issues in Tamworth

“I chose to forget about it. We never ever discussed it. I moved on… I’ve never felt like a victim. I was able to defend myself.”

After allegations emerged about Mr Pincher allegedly groping the two men in the private members club, Mr Cook said local Conservatives in Tamworth were contacted by CCHQ telling them “everybody needs to shut up”.

He told the colleague that informed him of that instruction that he could potentially be defined as one of Mr Pincher’s victims and that it seemed like he was being told “to be quiet”.

“We need to be very careful how we approach this because this is what you’re doing to me now – you’re telling me to be quiet,” Mr Cook said he told his colleague.

“There was a wall of silence from Conservative councillors until I said something… we were told under no uncertain circumstances not to say a word – that’s what finally pushed me to come forward and actually say something.”

More people – mostly women – have been underpaid their state pension than previously thought, latest government figures show.

By Kevin Peachey www.bbc.co.uk

A new estimate suggests 237,000 state pensioners were paid less than their entitlement, with a total of nearly £1.5bn underpaid.

That is 105,000 more people affected than the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) calculated a year ago.

They include widows and divorcees who could have been underpaid for years.

The problem dates back to 1985 and relates to the “old” state pension system. Married women who had a small pension of their own could claim a 60% basic state pension based on their husband’s record of contributions. But an error at the DWP meant they were not automatically given this money.

Along with widows and divorcees, some will eventually receive all their entitlement, although years later than they should have done. Others will only be able to claim for 12 months of missed payments.

When figures were first revealed by the DWP, it was thought that 200,000 female pensioners were collectively owed up to £2.7bn. After more details were collected, the estimated numbers were scaled back to just over 130,000 people affected, at a total of just over £1bn.

Now those estimates have been changed again, with the prospect of more revisions to come.

“DWP has carried out additional reviews of its records to understand the pensioners that may be affected, but the full extent of the underpayments will not be known until every case has been reviewed,” the National Audit Office said.

The situation was described as “a shameful shambles” by the Public Accounts Committee of MPs in January,

Errors repeated

The committee’s report said the errors were the result of outdated systems and heavy manual processing of pensions at the DWP. It also said there was a risk that the errors that led to underpayments in the first place could be repeated in the correction programme, the ninth such exercise since 2018.

Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb, who is now a partner at consultancy LCP, said the DWP had also admitted to an error in which credits for time at home with children – previously known as home responsibilities protection – may be missing from people’s National Insurance records and therefore affect their state pension.

“Not only is the cost of the underpayment correction exercise set to soar, DWP are now admitting a whole new category of errors,” he said.

“In both cases it is women who will bear the brunt of the errors. We need much greater transparency about all of this rather than leaving it to figures buried in the small print of annual reports. Far too many people have been underpaid for far too long”.

From a Correspondent: 

As one of 600 residents in Axmouth. A village with no shops or facilities I am shocked at the announcement that the 9a bus, operated by Stagecoach is no longer to pass through our village. This has happened very quietly and quickly. We learned about it only yesterday during a meeting of 20 elderly ladies gathered for a social event. We need this bus as many of us do not drive and parking in Lyme Regis is impossible during the summer.

I think there is a timescale involved to alert the public as to the changes they intend to make. There is no notice in the bus shelter and I have not seen anything in the local press.

See proposals to cut bus services (the devil lies in the detailed timetable changes – Owl)

What damage have they done to our country?

They chose a man for Prime Minister who was clearly unfitted for the role; they indulged his disregard for rules; lack of integrity and dishonesty for far too long. He and his cronies have squandered billions without due scrutiny.

Now, at a critical time when our economy under performs that of our competitors and our inflation rate is soaring, our government lies broken.

How can Boris Johnson lead an administration when a quarter of the government walked out (58) on him over the past two days?

By replacing them with more members of the Boris fan club? What will that say? – Owl

‘Unwise and unsustainable’ for Boris Johnson to remain PM, warns Sir John Major

David Hughes www.standard.co.uk 

Former prime minister Sir John Major has said it would be “unwise and may be unsustainable” for Boris Johnson to remain in office while a new Tory leader is elected.

Sir John warned Mr Johnson would continue to have the power of patronage and the ability to make decisions affecting the lives of people across the country despite losing the support of his MPs and ministers.

He warned the new interim Cabinet appointed by Mr Johnson following the wave of resignations this week may not be able to “restrain him”.

In a letter to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, Sir John said: “The proposal for the Prime Minister to remain in office – for up to three months – having lost the support of his Cabinet, his Government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable.

“In such a circumstance the Prime Minister maintains the power of patronage and, of even greater concern, the power to make decisions which will affect the lives of those within all four nations of the United Kingdom and further afield.

“Some will argue that his new Cabinet will restrain him. I merely note that his previous Cabinet did not – or could not – do so.”

Sir John suggested Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab could serve as acting prime minister until a new leader is elected.

Or he said Tory MPs could elect the new leader who would become prime minister, with party members then asked to endorse the decision.

Sir John said: “Neither of these options is ideal, but the interests of the country must be given priority over all else and with so many long-term and critical issues before us, an imaginative response even at the risk of some bruised feelings within the party is most definitely in the national interest.”

Under the expected timetable, Conservative MPs will take part in a series of votes to whittle leadership candidates down to two, with Tory members then deciding the winner.

The process could take months, with a new leader expected to be in place before the party conference in October.

“Johnson was a failure and a disgrace. Now, as he finally falls apart, the Tory party must pick up the pieces and decide what it wants to be: a respectable party of the centre-right, or a deranged populist power fantasy?”  

Text of the statement here.

Rupert Hawksley link.news.inews.co.uk

Well, I think we can all agree that today we learned something important from our Prime Minister: how not to give a resignation speech.

If you are thinking of leaving your job, you now know to avoid phrases like “herd instinct” and “our brilliant and Darwinian system”. It sort of gives the impression that nothing is your fault and everyone else is to blame. Your colleagues might be a touch ticked off. Not at all good for the leaving party.

It was an extraordinary speech, though, wasn’t it? Bitter, crotchety and just a little bit petulant. “I’m immensely proud of the achievements of this government from getting Brexit done to settling our relations with the continent,” Boris Johnson said outside Downing Street. You’d have to say the word “settling” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

Not that any of this really matters; the result is the same. The Prime Minister has resigned. So it’s time to reflect on his premiership and Ian Dunt argues that Johnson will be judged extremely harshly by history.

“There will be three strands to the historic appraisal of Johnson: personal immorality, functional inadequacy and constitutional sabotage. On each one of them, history will damn him.

“Johnson was a failure and a disgrace. Now, as he finally falls apart, the Tory party must pick up the pieces and decide what it wants to be: a respectable party of the centre-right, or a deranged populist power fantasy?”  

No apologies, no contrition, it’s all a plot – Owl

Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street www.gov.uk 

Good afternoon everybody,

It is now clearly the will of the parliamentary conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party

and therefore a new Prime Minister

and I have agreed with Sir Graham Brady

the chairman of our backbench MPs

that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now

and the timetable will be announced next week

and I have today appointed a cabinet to serve – as I will – until a new leader is in place

so I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019 – many of them voting Conservative for the first time

thank you for that incredible mandate

the biggest Conservative majority since 1987

the biggest share of the vote since 1979

and the reason I have fought so hard for the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person

was not just because I wanted to do so

but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019

and of course I am immensely proud of the achievements of this government

from getting Brexit done and settling our relations with the continent after half a century

reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in parliament

getting us all through the pandemic

delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe

the fastest exit from lockdown

and in the last few months leading the west in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine

and let me say now to the people of Ukraine that I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes

and at the same time in this country we have at the same time been pushing forward a vast programme of investment in infrastructure, skills and technology

the biggest for a century

because if I have one insight into human beings

it is that genius and talent and enthusiasm and imagination are evenly distributed throughout the population

but opportunity is not

and that is why we need to keep levelling up

keep unleashing the potential of every part of the United Kingdom

and if we can do that in this country, we will be the most prosperous in Europe

and in the last few days I have tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments

when we are delivering so much

and when we have such a vast mandate and when we are actually only a handful of points behind in the polls

even in mid term after quite a few months of pretty unrelenting sledging

and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally

and I regret not to have been successful in those arguments

and of course it is painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself

but as we’ve seen at Westminster, the herd is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves and

and my friends in politics no one is remotely indispensable

And our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times

not just helping families to get through it but changing and improving our systems, cutting burdens on businesses and families

and – yes – cutting taxes

because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services

and to that new leader I say, whoever he or she may be, I will give you as much support as I can

and to you the British people I know that there will be many who are relieved

but perhaps quite a few who will be disappointed

and I want you to know how sad I am to give up the best job in the world

but them’s the breaks

I want to thank Carrie and our children, to all the members of my family who have had to put up with so much for so long

I want to thank the peerless British civil service for all the help and support that you have given

our police, our emergency services and of course our NHS who at a critical moment helped to extend my own period in office

as well as our armed services and our agencies that are so admired around the world and

[Political content ommitted]

I want to thank the wonderful staff here at Number Ten and of course at chequers and our fantastic protforce detectives – the one group, by the way, who never leak

and above all I want to thank you the British public for the immense privilege you have given me

and I want you to know that from now until the new Prime Minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on

Being Prime Minister is an education in itself

I have travelled to every part of the United Kingdom and in addition to the beauty of our natural world

I have found so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways that I know that even if things can sometimes seem dark now, our future together is golden.

Thank you all very much.

“Despite the many warnings about his compulsion to spin the truth as it suited him, the Conservative party bought and then sold to the people his epic lies about leaving the European Union.

“The Conservatives owe the country the sincere apology which his resignation speech show yet again is not in his lexicon.”  Paul Arnott

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk

MP’s and councillors in East Devon have been giving their reaction to the news of Boris Johnson resigning as Conservative leader – and Prime Minister.

We asked East Devon Conservative MP, Simon Jupp, Cllr Paul Arnott, and Tiverton and Honiton Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord for their reaction to the development, which came after days of resignations and calls for Boris Johnson to stand down. 

Councillor Paul Arnott, leader of East Devon District Council, said: “Boris Johnson, as natural Conservatives such as ex-Telegraph editor Max Hastings predicted long ago, was destined for this date with history.

“Despite the many warnings about his compulsion to spin the truth as it suited him, the Conservative party bought and then sold to the people his epic lies about leaving the European Union.

“The Conservatives owe the country the sincere apology which his resignation speech show yet again is not in his lexicon. 

“Now – and one has to say, astonishingly – this same Tory membership, including the decaying party in East Devon, will have the ultimate say over who is our next prime minister. This is a desperate state for the UK’s democracy. 

“At EDDC’s Full Council on July 20, my administration will be backing a motion calling the Conservatives to agree to electoral reform.

“It is no longer acceptable for us to be governed by an unwritten constitution which allows a charlatan to cling onto the doorframe at 10 Downing Street as, even now, Johnson plainly intends.

“Finally, I think that the resounding vote against the Conservatives in the election of Lib Dem Richard Foord two weeks ago expressed the heartfelt feeling that good local people do not want to be governed in this pompous, self-serving and deceitful way ever again.

“I hope the local Conservative membership has heard this, but I fear they have not.”

Mr Foord, who was elected to Parliament in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election, sweeping away a 24,000 Conservative majority after the resignation of Neil Parish, said: “It has been shameful to see some Conservative MPs in Devon stand loyally by Boris Johnson through the scandals and lies. It is clear they only acted at the very last minute to save their own skin.

“Local people tell me they will never forgive those Conservative MPs for standing by Boris Johnson for so long.

“Conservative MPs have voted through unfair tax hikes on working families, in favour of water companies being allowed to dump raw sewage into our rivers, and supported the scrapping of the triple-lock on pensions.

“It is Conservative MPs, not just Boris Johnson, who have damaged the reputation of our great country in recent months.

“Britain needs change and real leadership to deal with the cost of living crisis and record NHS waiting times. The Conservative party has proven they are just not up to the job.”

Boris Johnson announced today – July 7 that he will step down as Conservative party leader. with a new Tory leader set to be in place by the party conference in October.

Conservative MP Simon Jupp was asked, but did not respond when this article was published. 

However, on Wednesday, he issued a statement calling on the Prime Minister to stand down.

The prospective new chair of the Environment Agency is refusing to divest his shareholding in a hydrogen and carbon capture company chosen for a major government project.

The Nolan principles again – Owl

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

Alan Lovell stood down as a director of Progressive Energy last month, according to Companies House records, two days after being announced as the preferred candidate for the role running England’s environmental watchdog.

The company leads the North West Hynet project, which has been chosen by ministers to drive decarbonisation in the north-west and north Wales as part of a £1bn push for carbon capture and hydrogen in the UK net zero strategy.

The committee on climate change said in a 2019 progress report that in order to develop hydrogen options, significant volumes of the gas must be produced to low-carbon standards at multiple industrial clusters.

MPs were told this week that Lovell had put his role as chair of a “renewable energy” company into his declaration of interests. They were told he had stepped down and had proposed that his financial interest in the firm could be managed by him recusing himself from decisions relating to the company.

But Sir Robert Goodwill, the chair of the environment food and rural affairs (Efra) committee, asked: “Would it not be more effective or less of a risk to divest?”

Lovell replied: “I don’t feel that I need to do that.”

The accountant and businessman, who has made a name stepping in to rescue failing companies, including a failed attempt to shore up the construction firm Carillion, said he felt MPs should be pleased he had been engaged in investment in important sectors.

“I regard the CCS [carbon capture and storage] and hydrogen sector as an extremely important one. I have been investing in it since 2009,” he said. The company, he added, had been selected as the coordinator of one of the two clusters that the government was backing.

Lovell defended his decision to keep hold of his shares. “For a start this project is going to go ahead. It has good enough backing for the government that it is going to go ahead. I don’t believe there is any issue on that score,” he told MPs.

He said the project would be coming to the Environment Agency (EA) for planning and permitting consents. But he did not see a conflict of interests, telling the committee: “These would be round the edges, I would say, of the value of the company. Further I shall not be on the environment and business committee of the agency, which will consider permitting and planning issues.”

Lovell said he had been reassured by the chief executive of the agency, Sir James Bevan, who was “quite adamant” about him not being involved in any decisions that came to the EA board.

“I take confidence in the fact that he himself is confident about that and I feel it is OK to retain the investment,” Lovell said.

His candidature to succeed Emma Howard Boyd as chair comes at a time when the agency is under attack over its failure to improve water quality in rivers and hold water companies accountable for pollution. There is also concern within the agency over its failure to take tough action against polluters.

Lovell’s selection, the government said, followed a rigorous process conducted in accordance with the ministerial governance code on public appointments. Its announcement last month made no mention of his role at Progressive Energy but cited other companies where he held directorships.

Lovell told MPs on the environmental audit committee and the Efra committee that he was not an “activist” on the environment. His environmental credentials, he said, included the fact that he came from a family of farmers, his interest in renewable energy and his ownership of a wood in Wiltshire.

MPs will produce a report on Friday about the appointment before Lovell’s position is confirmed.

“Some changes have been made. Higher rates of stamp duty on additional properties, closing tax loopholes and plans to let councils double council tax on vacant second homes. It’s a good start, but more action is needed.” Simon Jupp

(Amazing what a by-election can do to focus minds on local issues – Owl)

Simon Jupp www.sidmouthherald.co.uk

Short-term holiday lets are an important part of the economy of popular tourist destinations.

Many jobs in our communities depend upon visitors enjoying the variety and availability of accommodation options, who in turn spend money locally year after year.

Homeowners benefit from the flexibility offered by short-term lets, too. Listing a spare room or property takes only a matter of minutes.

It is an increasingly irresistible attraction. 

A recent survey of landlords by Capital Economics found 10% of UK landlords were ‘very likely’ or ‘fairly likely’ to offer short-term lets in the future in properties that are currently used for long-term tenancies.

But it is time to get a grip on what is going on. That survey data reveals up to 470,000 more properties could be unavailable for residents looking to rent.

My fellow Conservative Devon MPs and I met the PM earlier this week to discuss this growing problem. Homes to buy and for long-term rent are out of reach for many people who grew up in Devon, work locally, or need the support of family to look after a loved one.

Some changes have been made. Higher rates of stamp duty on additional properties, closing tax loopholes and plans to let councils double council tax on vacant second homes. It’s a good start, but more action is needed.

I welcome a new review into short-term tourist accommodation which will explore the impact and options for communities like ours.

Measures being considered include a registration kitemark scheme with spot checks for compliance with rules such as gas safety, and physical checks of premises to ensure regulations in areas including health and safety, noise, and anti-social behaviour are obeyed.

Short-term holiday lets bring visitors to the places we love. 

Landlords and second-home owners who see property as an investment opportunity also make it harder for local people to have a home of their own. 

We clearly need a better balance for communities in East Devon and the South West.

 In a statement he said:

It is good news for the country that Boris Johnson has resigned as Prime Minister.

But it should have happened long ago.

He was always unfit for office.

He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale.

And all those who have been complicit should be utterly ashamed.

The Tory Party have inflicted chaos upon the country during the worst cost of living crisis in decades.

And they cannot now pretend they are the ones to sort it out …

We don’t need to change the Tory at the top – we need a proper change of government.

We need a fresh start for Britain.

There are various suggestions:

That Johnson stays until a new PM is selected in autumn (so we could be treated to more buffoonery).

What looks like the emerging line:

Though the Daily Mail considers Theresa May as ideally placed to lead an interim government.

When the men in grey suits fail….

…and “only the ever deluded Nadine Dorries still believed in the Thousand Year Reich”.  John Crace

Watch video on twitter.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-62072419

..as cabinet resignations continue this morning (currently four of maybe five)…

…and the Conservative Party tears itself apart. – Owl

Headlines

“He has lost it and gone full ‘Hulk.’ 

He will be absolutely furious — because it has to be someone else’s fault,” a former government official who had also worked alongside the prime minister said. “It’s despotic.”

Annabelle Dickson www.politico.eu 

LONDON — The party’s over but Boris Johnson refuses to leave.

Despite more than 40 resignations from his government, an attempted coup by his top team and numerous calls to quit from his own Conservative backbenchers, the British prime minister was locked in No. 10 Downing Street with his closest aides on Wednesday night, trying to map out a way for him to retain power.

For him to do so would be unprecedented. Johnson’s government has been in crisis mode for months, first fending off criticism about coronavirus lockdown-busting parties and later over Johnson’s handling of allegations of abusive behavior by Conservative MPs.

But a defiant prime minister, who spent much of his day in public obliviously answering questions from MPs, insisted his general election mandate — which gave him a huge parliamentary majority just two and half years ago — took precedent over the concerns of colleagues. 

Early signs of a fightback were brutal, with Johnson firing one of his most senior ministers, his Brexit-supporting frenemy Michael Gove. It was Gove, who has held multiple senior roles in Johnson’s government, who went into No. 10 earlier in the day with the metaphorical bottle of whiskey and revolver, Tory MP Tim Loughton told Sky News: “Clearly Boris has downed the whiskey and turned the revolver on Michael Gove.”

Unless Johnson bows to the immense political pressure he is under, there is no immediate mechanism to remove him. Under the British political system — which relies largely on unwritten rules — convention dictates that a prime minister do the honorable thing and bow out voluntarily once they lose the confidence of their party.

“He’ll be dragged out on his chair with his heels dug in,” according to one official who has worked closely with the prime minister in recent months. 

“He has lost it and gone full ‘Hulk.’ He will be absolutely furious — because it has to be someone else’s fault,” a former government official who had also worked alongside the prime minister said. “It’s despotic.”

To survive, Johnson must first fill the many vacancies in his administration and rebuild his team even as more, including Welsh Secretary Simon Hart, announced they were quitting. Johnson could then eye an election as a way to reclaim a mandate to govern, something that is in the prime minister’s gift to initiate but a scenario he insisted he wouldn’t pursue. With the Tories trailing Labour in the polls, many in Johnson’s party are very keen to avoid a public vote.

Faced with the prime minister’s refusal to take a hint, the rest of his party must also calculate their next move.

Johnson narrowly survived a vote of confidence in his leadership by Tory MPs in June and under current Conservative Party rules, he is immune from another challenge for a year. But MPs are planning to change those rules and may mount another challenge next week.

Another mechanism to oust him would be for the opposition to call a confidence vote in the House of Commons. If enough Tory MPs sided with opposition parties to vote him down, Johnson would be required by parliamentary convention to resign — not that he has shown the least interest in following conventions.

Hanging on

Two of Johnson’s most senior Cabinet ministers, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, set off a domino effect Tuesday by resigning within 10 minutes of each other.

On Tuesday night, Johnson promptly replaced them, appointing Nadhim Zahawi as chancellor and Steve Barclay as health secretary. 

In a baptism of fire for Zahawi, he started his first day on the job with a 7 a.m. round speaking to the media. He insisted ministers were getting on with the job. Two members of Johnson’s government announced their resignations as he was speaking.

By the time Johnson entered the House of Commons at noon for his weekly prime minister’s questions session — his first public appearance since his government began falling apart — several more ministers including John Glen, the fourth in command at the Treasury, and Victoria Atkins, the prisons minister, had departed. Javid walked in just afterward and was met with a small cheer.

“Today is a big day,” Johnson began, drawing dark laughter from the chamber. But for the rest of the session, Tory MPs sat silent and stony-faced. Johnson faced hostile questions from MP Loughton — who asked sarcastically whether there were any circumstances in which he would resign — and David Davis, who repeated his call for the PM to quit. Most significantly, Gary Sambrook launched an emotional and excoriating attack on Johnson, accusing him of suggesting that victims of sexual assault had been drinking too much.

In response to a Labour MP who asked about a constituency issue, Johnson said he was already looking into it and urged him: “Hang on in there — that’s what I’m going to do.”

At a highly-charged briefing with journalists immediately afterward, Johnson’s press secretary insisted three times that he has the support of his parliamentary party and said he would contest a second confidence vote if one were held.

All the while, Javid was delivering a resignation speech — doubling up as a thinly veiled leadership pitch — in the Commons.

In the rest of the parliamentary estate, MPs, advisers and journalists were working up to a state of frenzy. In Portcullis House — the atrium at the heart of the parliamentary estate where all of Westminster congregates — Johnson’s Deputy Chief of Staff David Canzini sat in quiet congress with Conor Burns, one of the prime minister’s most long-standing allies. A book titled “Conundrum” lay on the table atop a pile of papers before them. 

By 2:30 p.m., Johnson had endured a record-making number of ministerial exits in 24 hours. As the resignations piled up, Johnson was grilled by the cross-party liaison committee of senior MPs, who worked their way through a succession of unrelated, administrative topics as dictated by their agenda.

Asked by one MP how his week was going, Johnson replied: “Terrific.” 

Darren Jones, a Labour MP, read out a quote that said when a regime has been in power for too long you can “rely on the leaders of that regime to act solely in the interests of self-preservation, and not in the interests of the electorate.” Asked if he could guess where this was from, Johnson asked sarcastically: “Cicero?” It was from one of Johnson’s own prior newspaper columns. 

As the conversation turned to the sustainability of the government’s fertilizer supply and delays with processing passports, a delegation of Cabinet ministers headed to No. 10 with the intention of telling Johnson that the game was up and it was time for him to resign. They included Zahawi, who had only been appointed chancellor the previous evening and who had defended the prime minister on the morning media round. 

When the committee broke the news of the imminent Cabinet coup to Johnson, he looked irritated. “You’re asking me to comment … I’m not going to give a running commentary on political events,” he responded — but insisted he was happy to discuss the cost of living or environmental issues. 

Bernard Jenkin, the senior Conservative backbencher chairing the committee, concluded by reflecting: “In the end, we’re all dispensable.”

“That is certainly true,” Johnson replied. “But my job is to get on and deliver the government’s aims, which is what I was elected to do … The welfare of the British people and the security of the nation are indispensable.”

Meanwhile just a few doors down the corridor, the 18-strong executive of the 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers — which oversees the rules by which the party can oust Johnson — was also meeting. 

Some rebels had pushed for the committee to agree to an immediate change to its rules, in order to enable a fresh confidence vote in the prime minister immediately. They declined and instead agreed to hold their annual executive elections on Monday afternoon. And if the MPs elected to the committee support a rule change, a confidence vote could be triggered as soon as Tuesday. 

By 5 p.m., both meetings had ended and the prime minister dashed down the escalators to exit parliament and back to Downing Street, batting away questions from reporters on his way. 

Meanwhile, his deputy Dominic Raab headed to address another meeting of backbench Tory MPs.

One Conservative MP told POLITICO that in a room of 160 MPs, the “lone voice of support” came from Daniel Kawczynski, a staunch Brexiteer who last year was forced to apologize to the Commons for bullying parliamentary staff. 

Meanwhile, a former parliamentary staffer said, Conservative MPs were messaging their whips — responsible for party discipline and junior appointments — to say: “Don’t bother phoning me, I don’t want to serve [in Johnson’s government].”

Over in No. 10, a group of Cabinet ministers — Zahawi, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, Education Secretary Michelle Donelan and Welsh Secretary Hart — had arrived to speak to Johnson. Within hours, Hart had quit and it emerged that Gove had been sacked.

The Times meanwhile reported that Home Secretary Priti Patel, previously a staunch defender of Johnson and one of his most senior ministers, had spoken to the Tory leader and sided with those urging him to go.

Not quite everyone had deserted Johnson by the end of Wednesday. Ultra-loyalist Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries insisted: “The PM’s priority is to stabilize the government, set a clear direction for the country and continue to deliver on the promises he made and the British public voted for.”

James Duddridge, another Johnson loyalist, told TV interviewers the prime minister was “buoyant” and “up for a fight.”  

The only certainty is that it is going to be a big one. 

Wednesday:

– John Glen, financial services minister and a Member of Parliament (MP) since May 2010

– Victoria Atkins, a junior home office minister and an MP since May 2015

– Stuart Andrew, a junior housing minister and an MP since May 2010

– Jo Churchill, a junior minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and an MP since May 2015

– Will Quince, minister for children and families, and an MP since May 2015

– Robin Walker, minister of state for school standards and an MP since May 2010

– Felicity Buchan, Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and an MP since December 2019

– Laura Trott, Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Department of Transport and an MP since December 2019

– Selaine Saxby, PPS to DEFRA and an MP since December 2019

– Claire Coutinho, PPS to the Treasury and an MP since December 2019

– David Johnston, PPS to the Department of Education and an MP since December 2019

Tuesday:

– Rishi Sunak, Finance Minister and an MP since May 2015

– Sajid Javid, Health Secretary and an MP since May 2010

– Bim Afolami, Conservative Party Vice Chair and MP for Hitchin and Harpenden since June 2017

– Saqib Bhatti, PPS to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and an MP since December 2019

– Jonathan Gullis, PPS to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and an MP since December 2019

– Nicola Richards, PPS for Department of Transport and an MP since December 2019

– Alex Chalk, Solicitor General for England and Wales and an MP since May 2015

– Virginia Crosbie, PPS to the Wales Office and an MP since December 2019

– Theo Clarke, Trade Envoy to Kenya and an MP since December 2019

– Andrew Murrison, Trade Envoy to Morocco and an MP since June 2001

(Inevitable as part of Rishi’s Treasury Team, she was his PPS) – Owl

‘Trust, truth and integrity are vital in our work as politicians and public servants’

Part of the seven Nolan principles and not discretionary, so what took you so long to work this out? – Owl

ByGuy HendersonChief Reporter www.devonlive.com

North Devon MP Selaine Saxby has become the 19th member of parliament to resign from positions in Government in a chaotic day for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The exodus of Tory MPs was led last night by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

More followed this morning, and still more after the Prime Minister faced his critics during a stormy Prime Minister’s Questions session in the Commons. The Prime Minister had apologised for appointing MP Chris Pincher to a government role after being told about a misconduct complaint, which Mr Pincher denies.

The PM admitted he had been told about the complaint in 2019 – but had made a “bad mistake” by not acting on it. The Pincher problem heaped more pressure on a Prime Minister already reeling from “Partygate” and other issues during his time in office.

In a Tweet this afternoon the North Devon Conservative MP said: “With much regret I can no longer continue in my present role as PPS.” She has been a Parliamentary Private Secretary at both DEFRA and more recently the Treasury.

Her resignation letter reads: “I have not spoken out sooner as I had not wanted to be a distraction in the recent Tiverton and Honiton by-election and divert attention from our excellent candidate and hard-working volunteers.

“Trust, truth and integrity are vital in our work as politicians and public servants, and I had hoped that the reset earlier in the year might have given us the chance for a different direction. However, the events of this week have shown that not to be the case.

But is it too little, too late and has Boris Johnson really measured up to the challenges? – Owl

Devon Tory MP says it’s time for Boris to go

Guy Henderson www.devonlive.com 

East Devon Conservative MP Simon Jupp has called on Boris Johnson’s to resign on a day of chaos for the Prime Minister. He said he no longer had confidence in Mr Johnson and called on him to “do the decent thing and resign”.

By 2pm, nineteen Ministers and Government figures had resigned over the PM’s handling of the Chris Pincher affair. Some said it was just the latest in a series of misjudgements which had led them to question their faith in him.

This afternoon Mr Johnson faced his critics during a stormy Prime Minister’s Questions session in the Commons. The Prime Minister had apologised for appointing MP Chris Pincher to a government role after being told about a misconduct complaint, which Mr Pincher denies.

The Pincher problem heaped more pressure on a Prime Minister already reeling from “Partygate” and other issues during his time in office. North Devon Tory MP Selaine Saxby was among those to resign.

In an open letter to his East Devon constituents he wrote: “I wish to inform the people I am proud to represent that I no longer have confidence in the Prime Minister.

“Boris Johnson has faced many challenges. He has demonstrated admirable leadership on the international stage to support Ukraine. He went above and beyond to protect jobs at the height of the pandemic.

“However, too many of the challenges faced by the Prime Minister are a result of self-inflicted wounds. Leaders must demonstrate integrity, honesty, and set a high standard that we can all be proud of. The current situation is a grotesque distraction from the many challenges we face as a nation. I cannot tolerate this any longer and my constituents in East Devon expect better.

“I order to restore trust in the highest office of the land, the Prime Minister must do the decent thing and resign. If he does not, colleagues and I must consider how we can bring about a change in leadership at the earliest opportunity.

“It is the honour of my life to serve as the Member of Parliament for East Devon. I will never take that for granted.”

One former aide to Johnson described his current mentality as “scorched earth policy” in which “you’re retreating and you burn everything to the ground as you go.” Lucky us!

Esther Webber www.politico.eu

BORIS ON THE BRINK: Boris Johnson faces the music today with not one but two high-profile public appearances in the wake of a shattering day for his premiership which saw his health secretary and his chancellor quit the Cabinet in quick succession. Tuesday unfolded with dizzying speed, beginning with former Foreign Office chief Simon McDonald accusing the PM of lying about what he knew of accusations against Chris Pincher and ending with 10 fewer people prepared to stick up for the government, as ministers, parliamentary aides and trade envoys rapidly abandoned ship. 

Watch this space: Johnson is digging in like never before, but there’s no escaping that he is materially weakened to the point where it’s hard to find (m)any of his own MPs who believe he can or should lead them into the next election. Playbook’s Eleni Courea has heard that more backbenchers from the 2019 intake are planning to put out letters today saying they’ve had enough. We hope you’re keen on popcorn, because there will be extra helpings today.

Popcorn starter: This morning it’s none other than the U.K.’s brand new chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, on the broadcast round. There were reports of wrangling over the keys to No. 11 last night, with Downing Street deputy chief of staff David Canzini apparently making the case for Liz Truss, and Steve Barclay in the frame at one point, per the Telegraph’s Ben Riley-Smith. But Zahawi — former refugee, pollster, wheeler dealer and until yesterday, education secretary — won out. For a primer on the PM’s new righthand man it’s well worth revisiting this profile of him in his breakthrough role as vaccines minister, by POLITICO’s own Emilio Casalicchio. There’s already some extremely choice briefing about how Zahawi will differ from Sunak, more of which in a minute.

Popcorn main course: PMQs is at midday, so anyone hoping to steal the limelight and cross the floor before that had better get their skates on. Johnson must summon up a whole new reserve of energy to deliver something resembling a fightback, with all eyes on the benches behind him. Jonathan Gullis — whose loyalty, in Timothy Stanley’s memorable phrase, previously bordered on hooliganism — quit as Northern Ireland PPS yesterday. No announcement on who’s being shuffled into the role of head PMQs cheerleader has yet been made. 

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Popcorn pudding: Johnson will appear in front of the Liaison Committee at 3 p.m. for a grilling by select committee chairs, with some unlikely to show mercy. Contributions from well-known Johnson antagonists William Wragg and Caroline Nokes should be particularly spicy on the subject of the thought processes leading to Chris Pincher’s appointment as deputy chief whip despite numerous concerns raised over his conduct. Reminder: Johnson apologized for the appointment yesterday, but it was hard to make out with the sound of so many things crashing down around him. One Tory MP on the liaison committee was succinct in their preview to Playbook: “He is toast.”

PM’s message: A senior government official conceded to Playbook it had been a “tough day” (understatement of the year, anyone?) but pledged the PM would go on “delivering on what the people put us here to do.” Asked if Johnson was daunted, the same official said “he has a mandate from 14 million people to deliver an ambitious agenda, transforming the country, driving economic growth, reforming key services and showing leadership in tough times.” They insisted “he’s got two years to go” and “what he needs is a team of people around him who are committed” and “not having endless self-destructive fights among themselves.” 

TLDR: The Times’ Steven Swinford has an anecdote which sums all that up nicely: “Boris Johnson was asked by an ally tonight if he was considering quitting. He responded: ‘Fuck that.’”

More on that: One former aide to Johnson described his current mentality as “scorched earth policy” in which “you’re retreating and you burn everything to the ground as you go.” Lucky us.