Boris Johnson news – live: Police ‘handed photo of PM drinking beer at No 10
Boris Johnson ‘toxic’ even to his allies, says Malcom Rifkind
A photograph of Boris Johnson drinking a beer at a birthday event held for him in No 10 is among the 300 images handed to the Metropolitan Police, it has been reported.
The prime minister was pictured standing next to Rishi Suank and raising a can of Estrella towards the camera in a photo allegedly taken by the official Downing Street photographer during the first national coronavirus lockdown.
It came as long-serving former schools minister Nick Gibb became the 15th Tory MP to publicly announce he has submitted a letter of no confidence in the PM, piling further pressure on Mr Johnson as he seeks to stave off a backbench rebellion.
His intervention came hours after Red Wall MP Aaron Bell also called for Mr Johnson to go, declaring the prime minister’s position was “untenable” because of his handling of the Partygate scandal.
Meanwhile the PM has been trying to win over unruly backbenchers – as No 10 insiders warned the increasingly isolated prime minister is becoming “unpredictable and erratic”.
‘Regicide runs in the veins of my party,’ Nadine Dorries says
And here is some of the culture secretary’s defence of Boris Johnson on Times Radio:
Andy Gregory5 February 2022 08:34
Nadine Dorries defends ‘very positive’ Boris Johnson in combative interview
Amid reporting of strife in the Cabinet last night, the PM’s ardent defender Nadine Dorries has said that Boris Johnson was “very positive” when she had communicated with him in the last 24 hours.
In an exchange labelled “excruciating” by one critical viewer, the culture secretary questioned why she was being asked if she had spoken to the prime minister when appearing on BBC Breakfast.
“We have communicated,” Ms Dorries said, adding after further questioning on what he had communicated: “I’m not going to tell you the extent of my communications with the prime minister. I’ve answered your question, we have communications, what is your next question.”
Asked whether Mr Johnson had changed, amid widespread calls from within his own party to reshape his grip on No 10, Ms Dorries said: “Changed what?”
But she said: “What I would say is that the prime minister, when he appeared for the [1922] Committee last week, promised to change and I think anybody who picks up a newspaper or reads a newspaper, sees a television news bulletin, can see that a huge amount of change is underway at present, particularly in No 10.”
Faced with the comments from Nick Gibb as he became the 15th Tory MP to call on Mr Johnson to resign, Ms Dorries said there are “the same names that we continually keep [hearing] cropping up” and who are in “safe seats” who challenge the PM, adding: “The prime minister does tell the truth.”
Andy Gregory5 February 2022 08:30
Sajid Javid reportedly joins Rishi Sunak in rebuking PM over Savile jibe
According to the story on the front page of The Times today, the Cabinet descended into rancour over Boris Johnson’s future last night – after Sajid Javid allegedly joined Rishi Sunak in rebuking the PM over his false claim…
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