Boris Johnson and Cabinet thrash out differences after Rishi Sunak said they

Boris Johnson and his senior team thrashed out their differences in a five-hour meeting last night after the Chancellor said the government ‘needs to do better’.

In his first intervention on the crisis, Rishi Sunak hinted at Cabinet divisions over the Prime Minister’s disastrous attempt to block the suspension of former minister Owen Paterson for breaking lobbying rules.

During a round of media interviews yesterday, Mr Sunak said: ‘Reflecting over recent events – I think for us as a Government, it’s fair to say that we need to do better than we did last week, and we know that.’ 

Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting was ostensibly focusing on the Levelling Up agenda with ministers due to lay out how their department is contributing to the drive. 

Originally the team had planned an away-day at Chequers, but plans for this were dropped and they met at Downing Street instead.

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey arrived armed with an A3 map seemingly to help get her message across.

However, the political discussion is believed to have also addressed how to quell the rising tide of criticism about second jobs, conflicting interests and cronyism among MPs.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Housing Secretary Michael Gove and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke were among those seen departing Downing Street after gathering for crunch talks late into the night.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak hinted at Cabinet divisions over the Prime Minister’s disastrous attempt to block the suspension of former minister Owen Paterson for breaking lobbying rules

Boris Johnson (pictured on Armistice Day) and his senior team thrashed out their differences in a five-hour meeting last night after the Chancellor said the government ‘needs to do better’

Allies of the Chancellor say he was dismayed by the decision last week to order Tory MPs to vote to tear up Parliament’s anti-sleaze laws in order to save Mr Paterson.

The Prime Minister won the vote after imposing a three-line whip. Mr Sunak was absent for the vote because he was at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow at the time.

But the plan was abandoned the following day in the face of a huge public outcry, prompting Mr Paterson to resign as an MP.

The episode has triggered a wave of sleaze allegations against the Conservatives and seen the outside interests of all MPs come under fresh scrutiny.

It has also resulted in a Tory slump in the polls, with Labour taking the lead for the first time in a year in several surveys.

Mr Sunak did not comment directly on the cases of either Mr Paterson or Sir Geoffrey Cox, the former attorney general who has racked up more than £5.5million in outside earnings.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove seen leaving Downing Street after a five-hour Cabinet meeting, which was ostensibly focusing on the Levelling Up agenda

Health Secretary Sajid Javid smiles as he exits Downing Street after the mammoth five-hour talks

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace seen leaving 10 Downing Street last night. Originally the team had planned an away-day at Chequers, but plans for this were dropped and they met at Downing Street instead

He said: ‘People will have different…