BORIS Johnson has been delivered a fresh blow after yet another Tory MP said he has submitted a letter of no confidence.
Aaron Bell, who was elected in Newcastle-under-Lyme in 2019, has become the eighth to question the Prime Minister’s position, branding it “untenable” over the “breach of trust” of partygate.
In his letter, shared on Twitter, Bell said he was “profoundly disappointed” in the situation after he backed Mr Johnson to become leader.
“I believe it is in the country’s best interests that this matter is resolved as soon as possible,” he concluded.
Bell, who on Monday asked whether the PM thought he was a fool for following social distancing rules at his grandmother’s funeral in 2020, is the eighth Conservative MP to question the Mr Johnson’s authority after the boozy lockdown parties at No 10.
In his statement, Bell said he had submitted his letter after their clash earlier this week, but only made it public after discussions with his local party.
His addition means Mr Johnson is edging closer to facing a vote of no confidence in his leadership if 54 of his 360 Conservative lawmakers submit a letter to the chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee.
The letters are confidential, so only chairman Graham Brady knows how many have actually been submitted.
But so far eight have stated publicly they have written one.
This includes Roger Dale, Douglas Ross, Andrew Bridgen, Peter Aldous, Tobias Ellwood, Anthony Mangnall, Gary Streeter and now Aaron Bell.
They each agreed the PM’s position was “no longer tenable” and that their action was best for the country.
The true number of letters may well be higher.
Earlier attempts to coordinate a rebellion against the PM, dubbed the “Pork Pie Plot”, failed to reach the magic number.
But increasingly MPs anticipate the 54 mark will be hit “organically” as more and more submit letters off their own bat.
In attempt to win back some trust, Mr Johnson today offered an olive branch to his backbenchers.
In a letter to all Conservative MPs detailing how he hopes to improve the way Downing Street and the government more broadly works, he wrote: “I promised change and that is what we will now deliver together.”
It follows his attempt to put a brave face on earlier following the bombshell resignation of five top aides.
In a rallying cry to Downing Street staff, the PM quoted the Lion King saying that “change is good”.
