Now that the confidence vote in Boris Johnson’s leadership is on, Conservative MPs have suddenly become very busy, while senior Tories are breaking cover to declare that they no longer support the Prime Minister either. Jeremy Hunt, currently the favourite to replace Johnson with some bookies, has surprised no one by announcing that ‘today I will be voting for change’.
Perhaps more surprising has been the resignation of Johnson’s anti-corruption tsar John Penrose, who sent his letter in this morning. Penrose said he couldn’t continue as an anti-corruption champion given the Prime Minister had, in his view, clearly concluded he had broken the ministerial code:
As a result, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be honourable or right for me to remain as your anti-corruption champion after reaching this conclusion, not for you to remain as Prime Minister either. I hope you will now stand aside so we can look to the future and choose your successor.
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