He acknowledged that Mr Johnson had made a “really important start” in reforming Downing Street culture, including a complete overhaul of senior staff, but hinted at “an awful lot” of anger in his own party.
Pressed if he had sent a letter, Mr Penrose replied: “I’m sorry, I’m still thinking about it, so I’ll sleep on it. But that’s because it didn’t put the problem in bed one way or another.
“There are big concerns about whether he is telling the truth in parliament, for example. This is another example of something that has no answer.
“It may be months and one of the reasons I sound so angry and frustrated is that I expected to have a crystallized answer now, but we didn’t understand it.
On Thursday night, it was reported that Philip Dunn, a Ludlow Conservative MP, said the “benefits of doubt” had been lost to Mr Johnson, but he did not stop calling for his resignation.
Three Tory MPs submit letters in one day
Mr Hammond, a 2005 Wimbledon MP with just 628 votes, said he could not “defend the defenseless” and doubted Mr Johnson could regain public confidence.
“Since December 9, I have been critical of the prime minister’s behavior and the culture that existed at number 10,” he wrote on his website. All I can do as a bench is talk and send a letter.
Mr Baron, a veteran MP from Basildon and Billericay, said Mrs Gray’s report had painted “a shameful pattern of misconduct” and that “the most serious accusation against the Prime Minister is that he deliberately misled Parliament”.
“Since I have always said that I will look at all the available evidence before making a decision, I am afraid that the prime minister is no longer happy with my support – I can no longer benefit from his doubts.”
Commenting for the first time to the Times, Mr Simmonds, an MP from Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, said: “It is clear that while the government and our policies are trusted by the public, the Prime Minister is not.
It is not known at this time whether Mr Baron or Mr Simmonds has sent letters of no confidence to Sir Graham.
Add Comment