Johnson’s lurch to the right adds to momentum for leadership vote

Several Tory MPs believe the 54-letter threshold has been reached and that a challenge to PM could be mounted as soon as next week

Boris Johnson's lurch to the right after Partygate is fuelling even more anger among rebel Tory MPs, with momentum now building for a leadership challenge next week.

Conservative whips spent the first day of recess anxiously phoning round the parliamentary party to shore up support for the prime minister, as four more MPs called on him to resign, including Jeremy Wright, the former attorney general.