Aaron Bell, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, said the partygate allegations and the prime minister’s subsequent handling of the fallout has made his position “untenable”.
Mr Bell, who was first elected in 2019, is the fifth MP this week to announce they have lost confidence in the PM and submitted a letter to Sir Graham.
A token rebellion so far but in a week from now … 
Johnson wrote: “I understand the deep importance of engaging with colleagues in Parliament and listening to your views and that is why I want colleagues to have a direct line into 10 Downing Street. With the appointment of Andrew Griffith MP as director of policy we will provide whatever engagement and support is necessary to make this a success. I promise change and that is what we will deliver."
Johnson told them he was “committed” to improving the way that 10 Downing Street and the government works. The PM said he would provide them with further updates in the coming days. As fury bubbles within the party, the PM added: “It is vital that we harness all the energy experience and insight from our members of parliament.”
Promises, empty promises from a desperate BJ … 
The sooner he goes, the better. Why on earth is he holding on so much? Just go…!
Aaron Bell has done this twice before, his constituents aren’t happy, they voted for Boris Johnson.
I came here because of an irresistible urge to say something “off topic”, but having regained control of myself, am going to leave without saying it. 
I bid you good evening. 
Nick Gibb, the long-serving former schools minister, on Friday night became the 15th Conservative MP to publicly announce he had submitted a letter of no-confidence in the PM.
Grilled about efforts to get rid of the PM, the culture secretary told Sky News:
“There are 365 Conservative MPs. And I can promise you that the vast, vast majority of those MPs, 97 per cent of them will be out in their constituencies today, who are delivering on the promises they made to their constituents and Boris Johnson has made to them. The number of MPs who are former ministers – Remainers – those who have called for both Theresa May and David Cameron and every prime minister to go in the Conservative Party, they of course do make, they are, it’s disappointing what Nick [Gibb] has done – very disappointing because I’ve known Nick for many years. But what I would say is this is an absolute minority in the Conservative Party.”
Is she waffling or has my brain turned to mush … 
Seemingly, Dorries has “lost it”:
Nadine Dorries has continued to publicly back Boris Johnson after giving a toe-curlingly awkward televised interview in which she refused to answer questions on the PM, insisted he was truthful and said wider Partygate criticism was a Remainer plot.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning, Ms Dorries, 64, said the Prime Minister remained optimistic and his mood was ‘very positive’ despite a slew of his senior advisors abandoning the Government ship earlier this week. But the Culture Secretary clashed with host Charlie Stayt as she openly questioned why she was being asked if she had recently spoken with the Prime Minister.
Mr Stayt repeatedly asked if she had spoken with Mr Johnson over the last 24 hours - to which she replied: ‘Why are you asking me that question?’ She briefly smiles at the veteran broadcaster before adding: ‘We’ve communicated’. After an excruciating pause, a puzzled Mr Stayt then says: ‘I’m really confused. Is that a difficult question? I’m just asking if you’ve spoken to the Prime Minister’. Ms Dorries then repeats ‘we have communicated’, before refusing to expand on her original remarks when pressed further.
Saturday marked a whirlwind morning of media interviews for the Culture Secretary, who faced criticism for her ‘car crash’ BBC Breakfast interview, suggested a Remainer plot was contributing to the Tory Party’s internal strife and mixed up two Conservative MPs with similar names. In later comments, Ms Dorries added the premier always tells the truth ‘to the best of his knowledge’, and pointed at information given to him by advisors and aides.
Ms Dorries has asserted herself as one of Mr Johnson’s most outspoken public defenders in recent months since she became a cabinet member in September. She has frequently used Twitter and media interviews to shoot to the defence of the embattled PM, calling out Tory MPs who have publicly declared their intent to submit letters of no-confidence.
Are these no confidence letters time limited?
Nope, but they can withdraw them if they change their mind.
Thanks for that. I didn’t know.
Tory MP submits no confidence letter in PM
More on former chief whip Mark Harper, who confirms on Twitter that he’s submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister.
In the letter, he says Johnson is “no longer able to deliver the principled leadership required to take our country forward”.
Tory MPs can trigger a leadership contest if 54 letters of no confidence are sent to Sir Graham Brady, who chairs a committee of backbench MPs known as the 1922 Committee.
There’s no official running tally of how many letters have been submitted - they have been triggered by various issues over the course of Johnson’s leadership - the only way we’ll know for sure is if that crucial threshold of 54 letters is reached.
Think you’ll find more letters have been withdrawn than have been submitted. I was watching the statement in HoC and was expecting a few Tories to talk out against him, but all the Tory speakers other than Mark Harper were praising him.
Even some Labour MPs were acting like grown ups and were asking real questions and avoided mentioning Partygate.
How will I find that …
I suspect they voted for BREXIT. Proper BREXIT.
I’m going by what I’ve heard on the radio, tried to google, but couldn’t come up with anything like what I’ve heard, this article is from January, but can’t read it, says that 7 have withdrawn their letters:
And in March there was Roger Gale, Andrew Bridgen and Douglas Ross
AFAIK, the numbers cannot be truly established - all letters submitted or withdrawn can be done so anonymously. Those who wish to identify themselves are allowed to do so. In February, there were an estimated 45 letters submitted. All will become clear only when the magic number of 54 is reached.
Yup I know that. Where did you hear there was an estimated 45 in February because that’s not the estimate number I heard. Sounds more like a wishful thinking from the Guardian. I listen to Sky News and LBC radio and neither of them have said anything like that.
Members of the prime minister’s shadow whipping operation believe that at least 35 letters have already been submitted to the chair of the Conservatives’ 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady, according to the Sunday Times.
Allies trying to save Mr Johnson are said to suspect the number could be as high as 45, as the prime minister enters the “danger zone” close to the 54 letters required to trigger a vote.
Ok wishful thinking from the not so independent Independent then.
