Former Tory chief whip calls for Boris to quit

It never rains for No. 10 but it pours. After both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were last week fined in recess for breaching lockdown laws, the Prime Minister returned to parliament today to atone for his sins. And it’s not been a happy afternoon for Johnson as opposition leader after opposition leader denounced him in the strongest possible terms. Keir Starmer and Ed Davey both won plaudits for their interventions – even Ian Blackford was heard in near reverential silence.

Johnson is expected to win the looming Commons vote on an investigation into Partygate but he might not be able to navigate other challenges to his position so easily. While only a small minority have publicly called for the PM to go, that number was increased by one this afternoon after former Tory chief whip Mark Harper said Johnson should quit, arguing he is ‘no longer worthy of the great office that he holds.’