Tories give Boris Johnson months to improve … or go

Senior party figures think cost of living increases next spring, if combined with poor local election results in May, will doom the PM

Rapidly rising prices and tax increases in the spring, followed by a drubbing for the Tories in May's local elections, will mark the beginning of the end of Boris Johnson's premiership, senior Conservative MPs now believe.

After Johnson suffered a massive rebellion by his backbenchers over Covid rules in the Commons on Tuesday and a humiliating byelection loss to the Liberal Democrats in the previously safe Conservative seat of North Shropshire two days later, the prime minister is being told he has only three to four months to turn things around or risk being ousted.