Boris Johnson in the mire again after digging in to save an ally

Insiders boggle at tone deaf' response from PM and his team over Chris Pincher's position as scandals keep coming

Boris Johnson has spent much of his nearly three-year premiership determined not to bow to political pressure.

Despite being a former journalist who knows the damage that days of bad headlines can do - particularly from normally friendly newspapers - the prime minister has repeatedly dug in and refused to fire colleagues.