MP Philip Dunne says bid to remove Boris Johnson not over

A Tory MP who voted against the PM says "I think this is not over".

Philip Dunne, who represents Ludlow, Shropshire, said the scale of Conservative opposition to Mr Johnson was "not a situation that can endure".

He said he wanted a leadership contest to create the "opportunity for integrity" and for a new vision.

Mr Dunne predicted more challenging months ahead for the prime minister, despite Mr Johnson describing his confidence vote win as "decisive".

The Shropshire MP, who was first elected in 2005, said he would have preferred the no confidence vote to have taken place after the upcoming by-elections in Wakefield and in Tiverton and Honiton.

He had not previously called for the prime minister to resign and explained: "I hadn't wanted a vote to happen this time, because I thought he was likely to win it."

Under Conservative Party rules, 12 months must pass before another no confidence vote can be called.

Speaking to BBC Radio Shropshire, Mr Dunne said: "It's not going to happen for now, but we'll have to see in the coming weeks and months, I think this is not over."

Mentioning the state of the economy, the problems in Northern Ireland, the inquiry into whether he misled Parliament and the two by-elections, he said he thought Boris Johnson's situation would "depend on events over the coming months".

He said the number of MPs voting against Mr Johnson had been "at the upper end of my expectation" and had "surprised everybody".

"I think the issue for many of my colleagues in Parliament is whether or not he remains a vote winner," he said.

Mr Dunne also said it was not good for parties "to have such things", but added the Conservatives could recover before the next general election in 2024, if it can come together "whether that's under the prime minister or somebody else".

In 2019 Mr Dunne supported Jeremy Hunt in his bid to become leader of the party.

In response to Mr Dunne's comments, Boris Johnson supporter and Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant tweeted: "The Ludlow MP, my friend Philip Dunne, led the Jeremy Hunt campaign for the leadership so THAT does not surprise me!"

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