Conservative MPs across the country said yesterday they believed many people who had previously supported the party were expressing concern, with Downing Street preparing for further warnings of firm party sanctions in the coming days. Writing to the Observer, former Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said she was adamant in her decision to submit a letter of no confidence to the prime minister. It makes her the last MP to support a leadership contest since fines were imposed for violating the lockdown on Prime Minister and Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week. He also stressed the correspondence that indicated that previously safe voters had expressed concerns. He writes: “There are those who say that these emails are only from ‘ordinary suspects’.” It is true to say that there were a few of them, the political activists who send an automated e-mail message at the end of the hat. But they are a very minority. “Most of the emails I received last week are from people who are really upset about family events they could not and did not attend, and many are from people I know who are Conservative supporters. “I have not withdrawn the letter of distrust to Boris Johnson that I wrote months ago to Sir Graham Brady, its president [Tory backbench] Commission of 1922, because that would mean the disappointment of all those people who went through the pandemic doing the right thing. “ Other Tory lawmakers, including incumbent ministers, said they believed some sections of the electorate were being alienated. Some said the party was trying so hard to keep younger voters in favor of Brexit that many traditional supporters were discouraged by Partygate and the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. “If you go to our younger working class voters, I’m not sure they’re bothered so much,” said one North Tory MP. “But if you go to our traditional Tory middle-class voter, they are angry. That’s how I would define it. “I think he should have given up.” A minister said: “We are following a path that isolates people in the middle. I do not know if there are enough votes on the right and in the core of the party to pass. I just think it’s offensive and does real damage to the brand. “I’m just terrified.” A former minister said: “Some of the people I call ‘barometer people’ have come to me and said, ‘Look, we’re still angry with him. “We do not think he should give up at the moment, because we have the crisis in Ukraine, but he should not lead us to the next elections.” “These are people I know are supporters of the Conservatives.” The news comes as Torres lawmakers demand further regret from Johnson when he meets with them after parliament returns this week. He vowed to give a fuller explanation for his earlier denial that parties had taken place. There may also be requests this week for a vote on the prime minister’s referral to the cross-party privilege committee over whether he misled lawmakers about Downing Street’s locker parties. Some lawmakers who criticize Johnson believe they have only a few months to decide if he is the right person to lead them to the next election. “As a party, we have to make a decision for Boris by the summer holidays,” said one lawmaker. “If we have not done so by then, Boris will lead us to the next general election.” Labor leader Ker Starmer has called on Tory lawmakers to remove Johnson. “He is unfit for the office and every day he stays on Downing Street further degrades his office,” he said. “The cabinet, the ministers and the Tory MPs must realize that this is not going to change, and every time they defend Boris Johnson, they get involved in his web of lies. Are they really willing to stand by and do nothing, as his behavior brings their party into disrepute? Only Conservative MPs have the power to complete this shameful epic. “If the prime minister is not going to resign, then they must take action when parliament returns this week to send a clear message that honesty and integrity in public life are still important.” A new Opinium poll for the Observer shows that the fines for Johnson and Sunak have had a more direct impact on the chancellor’s popularity, which has reached record lows. The percentage of voters who approved of the chancellor was 24%, with 49% disapproving. The net acceptance score of -25 is the lowest ever. Johnson remains in a clear acceptance score of -26. The metropolitan police are also under increasing pressure to explain their approach and the timing of its decision to fine senior politicians for violating quarantine regulations. Unmesh Desai, a member of the Labor and Police Committee of the Greater London Authority, said he and his colleagues were concerned that the Met had chosen to divulge last week’s Partygate political explosives at a time when parliament was not was sitting. “The timing and manner of the announcement raises more questions than answers,” said Desai, a former chairman of the committee examining the work of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, which in turn oversees the Assembly. Desai also wanted to know why the Met had adopted a drip-feeding policy for the decision to impose fines on the force, a strategy he said was unprecedented. He said the commission would ask Sir Stephen House – the deputy head of the Met until a new commissioner is appointed – why the force decided to publish the findings of the investigation in a piecemeal manner.
