Carlisle MP John Stevenson is the first Cumbrian Conservative MP to reveal that he has submitted a letter calling for a vote to decide on Boris Johnson’s future.
Mr Stevenson issued a statement this afternoon. He said: “I have been deeply disappointed in the revelations concerning the activities at No 10 as well as the approach taken by the Prime Minister in his responses in Parliament.
“Recently I have called for the Prime Minister to put himself forward for a vote of confidence by Conservative MPs. This I believe is the only way we are to draw a line under all the recent issues surrounding the activities in No 10 and the leadership of the Prime Minister.
“Fellow MPs could then decide if the Prime Minister is the right person to continue to lead our country and take the Conservative Party into the next election.
“The continuing criticism, revelations and questions are debilitating for the Government at a time when there are so many other important and critical issues to be addressed.
“Sadly, the Prime Minister appears unwilling to bring matters to a head and submit himself to such a vote. Therefore, the only option is for the Conservative MPs to facilitate a vote of confidence. I have already taken the appropriate action.”
A growing number of Conservative MPs have called for Mr Johnson to quit and some have confirmed that they have sent a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs.
Fifty-four MPs need to submit a letter to trigger a leadership challenge – but the letters are confidential and only Sir Graham knows how many in total have been received.
