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Tory MP Peter Aldous calls on Boris Johnson to resign

UK Parliament Peter AldousUK Parliament
Peter Aldous said he had publicly called for the prime minister's resignation "after a great deal of soul-searching"

Tory MP Peter Aldous has called on the prime minister to resign.

The MP for Waveney in Suffolk said he had submitted a letter to his party's committee of backbench MPs, saying he had no confidence in Boris Johnson.

If the 1922 Committee panel receives 54 letters of no confidence from Conservative MPs, it could trigger a leadership contest, but many have publicly backed the PM.

Mr Aldous said he had made the decision "after a great deal of soul-searching".

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In a series of tweets, Mr Aldous said it was clear Mr Johnson had "no intention" of resigning voluntarily.

"Whilst I am conscious that others will disagree with me, I believe that this is in the best interests of the country, the government and the Conservative Party," he wrote.

Speaking to BBC Look East, Mr Aldous said he had felt compelled to act after being contacted by constituents and because matters were "dragging on".

"From the feedback I get, from people who have never contacted me before, people setting out the sacrifices they have made, I fear we've reached the point of no return," he said.

"I don't like doing this, but I just feel there is no alternative.

"I fear that trust in our prime minister - who in many ways is quite a remarkable man - has evaporated, and I do fear that it's not going to come back."

Waveney MP Peter Aldous
Mr Aldous said he felt the public's trust in Boris Johnson had "evaporated"

Mr Aldous' actions have come following the publication of Sue Gray's interim report into parties at Downing Street during the national lockdowns.

In her inquiry, she said there were "failures of leadership and judgement" by different parts of Number 10 and the Cabinet Office.

Ms Gray also highlighted that some behaviour at the gatherings was "difficult to justify" given the public was being asked to "accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives".

Mr Aldous has served as the constituency's MP since 2010, after winning the seat from Labour.

He said if a leadership contest was triggered, he did not yet know who he would back.

While Mr Johnson has made no indication that he was thinking about standing down, there has been mixed reaction from Conservative MPs.

Mr Johnson said he was "very, very sorry for misjudgements that may have been made by me or anybody else in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office".

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