‘Key is in the ignition’ for Tory leadership challenge to Johnson

Analysis: After cocktail of home refurbishments, Christmas parties and Covid all eyes are on next week's byelection

Only two months ago, the talk among Tory MPs - echoing some newspaper front pages - was about how Boris Johnson wanted to go on and on", lasting longer than Margaret Thatcher's 11 years in power.

At that time, they dismissed the idea that he was a dilettante prime minister who really wanted to retire and write books, give after-dinner speeches on how hard the job was and make loads of money in the process. But that has all changed, with successive scandals over his handling of sleaze allegations and Tory insiders now opening questioning his future.