Conservative MPs in the East add voices to confidence vote calls

More Conservative MPs in the East of England have joined calls for a vote of confidence in the prime minister.

In a tweet, Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon, said: "In politics, values and ethics do really matter."

The MP for North East Hertfordshire, Sir Oliver Heald, said "recent revelations" had led to "a loss of confidence including mine".

But the prime minister has told MPs it would not be "responsible" for him to go.

More than 30 MPs have so far resigned from the government since Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid stepped down as chancellor and health secretary on Tuesday.

Former Downing Street chief of staff, Steve Barclay, MP for North East Cambridgeshire, was named as Javid's replacement.

Several MPs have also added their names to a growing list of Conservatives calling for a second vote of confidence in Boris Johnson, including the Harlow MP and chairman of the education committee, Robert Halfon.

Culture secretary and Mid-Bedfordshire MP, Nadine Dorries, defended Mr Johnson, saying she was 100% behind the PM who "consistently gets all the big decisions right".

By Ben Schofield, BBC East political correspondent

Boris Johnson can still - for now - count on the support of a host of Big Beasts in the East: Liz Truss, Steve Barclay, Nadine Dorries, and others.

But a swathe of more junior government ministers have tendered their resignations - Will Quince, Jo Churchill, Kemi Badenoch among them.

That'll hurt, but will it be fatal? We hear some in Cabinet may be putting pressure on the PM to resign 'gracefully'.

That decision is his alone, but could another option be going to the country?

It's something he's refused to rule out.

In a letter posted on Twitter, South Cambridgeshire MP, Anthony Browne, also said Mr Johnson "must be removed from office".

He wrote: "I pride myself on personal loyalty.

"But I am also profoundly loyal to my constituency, my party and my country... Trust in politics is incredibly important. I cannot with integrity stand silently by."

In a letter posted on his website, Mr Halfon said: "I gave the Prime Minister the benefit of the doubt before. I saw the Prime Minister in January and urged him to return to being the Prime Minister that people voted for in 2019. This has not happened.

"I can't bring myself to do this again and refuse to do so."

Ex-children and families minister, Will Quince, the MP for Colchester, also said he could not accept being sent out to defend the prime minister on television with inaccurate information over the Chris Pincher row.

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