Hereford MP withdraws support for PM Boris Johnson

A former minister has become the latest Conservative to call for a confidence vote in Boris Johnson's leadership.

Hereford MP Jesse Norman had been a long-standing supporter.

However, in a letter published on Twitter, he said the Gray report into so-called Partygate lockdown breaches in and around Downing Street showed Mr Johnson had "presided over a culture of casual law-breaking".

"To describe yourself as 'vindicated' by the report is grotesque," he added.

The prime minister faces a vote of confidence on Monday evening.

Speculation about the vote had been mounting as Mr Johnson continues to face calls to resign over lockdown parties.

The internal investigation, led by Sue Gray, outlined details of 16 events between May 2020 and April 2021.

Eighty three people who attended these events received fines as a result of the police investigation, including the prime minister and the chancellor of the exchequer.

However, Mr Norman also attacked the government's decision to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and the "unnecessary and provocative" privatisation of Channel 4 "at a time of crisis".

He similarly criticised what he described as a lack of a long-term plan, despite the party's large majority in the Commons, saying "sensible planning" had been "replaced by empty rhetoric" under Mr Johnson's leadership.

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