West Midlands MPs withdraw support for Boris Johnson

Dozens of Tory MPs across the West Midlands have called on Boris Johnson to step down as prime minister.

Although he was only appointed chancellor on Tuesday, Stratford Nadhim Zahawi is believed to be among them.

Ministers Robin Walker and Rachel Maclean resigned from their government posts on Wednesday.

Parliamentary private secretaries (PPS) Jonathan Gullis and Nicola Richards also stepped down.

Their calls were echoed by many other backbenchers, including Lucy Allan, Kate Griffiths and former secretary of state Karen Bradley.

Last week, Tamworth MP Chris Pincher was suspended by the party over allegations of sexual misconduct.

He said he was seeking professional medical support, but denied previous allegations of misconduct.

Following the recent Partygate scandal, Mr Johnson has come under renewed scrutiny over questions whether he was aware of previous allegations before appointing Mr Pincher to the post of deputy chief whip.

Ms Griffiths, representing Burton upon Trent, said she was "furious" about the revelations around the appointment of her fellow Staffordshire MP.

In a statement, she said: "As someone who has been the victim of abuse, at the hands of an MP who told me his position would mean no-one would believe me over him, I am furious that it has now come to light the prime minister was aware of the allegations against Chris Pincher, and promoted him to a government position anyway.

"I promised I would be a voice for victims in Parliament, and I cannot do that when the prime minister does not take these allegations seriously."

In 2021, former Conservative minister Andrew Griffiths, was found to have raped and physically abused his wife, Ms Griffiths.

Police investigating two allegations which were believed to be against Mr Pincher said no arrests were made and no action was taken following those inquiries. Mr Pincher has previously denied being aware of those.

The row over the appointment comes after the PM's relations with his backbenchers had been damaged by the Partygate scandal and unhappiness over tax rises.

During Prime Minister's Questions, Tory backbencher Gary Sambrook, representing Birmingham Northfield, accused the PM of blaming other people for his mistakes and was applauded after calling on him to resign.

Not all of his constituents seemed to share his anger, however.

Telford backbencher Ms Allan described the appointment of Chris Pincher simply as "unacceptable".

Former secretary of state and Staffordshire Moorlands MP Karen Bradley said Mr Johnson was "not a fit person to lead this great country", adding "honesty and integrity are vital in public life".

Early on Wednesday, Jonathan Gullis was one of the most prominent and previously most loyal MPs to resign his government role, following a similar move by Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak the day before.

In a statement, Mr Gullis, PPS to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said the government had become more focused on dealing with its "reputational damage" than "delivering for the people of this country".

The Stoke-on-Trent North MP said he was resigning with a "heavy heart" and added he would continue to serve his constituency.

In stepping down as education minister, Worcester MP Robin Mr Walker said the loss of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, "reflects the worrying narrowing of the broad church that I believe any Conservative government should seek to achieve".

Like Mr Gullis, West Bromwich East MP Nicola Richards quit her role as a PPS.

She was first elected in the 2019 general election, as the Conservatives were swept to a large majority, led by Mr Johnson.

In her resignation letter, she said she was "grateful for the opportunity to support ministers and the Secretary of State Transport in their ambitions to level-up and invest in transport infrastructure across the country".

However, the MP said, while she was trying to support her constituents during the cost-of-living crisis, she could not bring herself to serve as a PPS under the current circumstances, "where the focus is skewed by poor judgement".

"I believe something must change," Ms Richards added.

While Mr Johnson is facing calls from across cabinet and the backbenches to step down, other MPs have voiced their support, including the likes of MPs Michael Fabricant, Stuart Anderson and Daniel Kawczynski.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, while saying on balance Mr Johnson should keep his job, admitted the PM's behaviour had been "very wrong".

He urged the parliamentary party to draw a line under the matter as soon as possible and concentrate on tackling the cost of living crisis and other issues facing the country.

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