No 10 set for more changes as PM seeks to calm MPs

Boris Johnson is set to make further changes to his Downing Street team this week as he seeks to ease concerns of MPs who are wavering about his future.

The shake-up comes amid the fallout from the initial findings of the Sue Gray report into events at No 10 while Covid restrictions were in place.

Several Tory backbenchers have called for Mr Johnson to resign and have submitted letters of no confidence.

The PM has promised his MPs there would be a change in how No 10 operates.

Asked if he had confidence in the prime minister, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said "absolutely, 100%" adding that "despite the challenges, and of course there are many, this prime minister is delivering".

But Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary, Jon Ashworth, said the government was "in utter chaos", with Mr Johnson "more focused on saving his own skin because of the scandals and rule breaking he's been involved in".

On Saturday Mr Johnson announced two senior appointments to his backroom staff following a string of resignations last week.

Cabinet Office minister and Tory MP Steve Barclay is taking over as his chief of staff, while former Johnson aide Guto Harri has started as director of communications.

Mr Harri was spotted arriving at No 10 on Monday morning, and asked by reporters what his first task of the day would be, he said he would "give healthy snacks and mineral waters to staff", waving a shopping bag at the cameras.

There are expected to be new staff appointments, and some ministers will share some of the existing responsibilities of Mr Barclay, who retains his ministerial position.

At least one current adviser - Henry Newman - will be moved out of No 10 and into a new role in government.

The prime minister is also thought to be looking to appoint a new chief whip - the person in charge of party discipline - and he is understood to have held discussions with senior figures to try to persuade them to take up the post.

Senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat, who has said he would run in any contest for the leadership, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the party should wait and see how the changes panned out before making any decisions on Mr Johnson's future.

"This is a decision clearly for 360 or so members of Parliament and let's see where it goes to, but I think the point remains that we've got to be looking at the future," he added.

"This is a time when we need to be really focused on what politics is actually here for, and that's helping others and not getting into some sort of personal psychodrama."

But former senior civil servant Jill Rutter said it was "unclear" how Mr Barclay's appointment would work in practice, as his three roles may pull him in different directions.

Writing for the Times Red Box, she said: "It's possible that the prime minister has thought this all through in a huge amount of detail and is clear how all these relationships will function.

"Alternatively, it's a panicky stopgap pulled together at short notice to get through the weekend, with no real thought about whether it will make a dysfunctional operation more confused."

Mr Johnson, who spent the weekend at his country retreat, Chequers, called some of his colleagues over the weekend to try to persuade them of the significance of his changes.

He has faced a turbulent few weeks amid allegations of parties at Downing Street, the Metropolitan Police announcing an investigation into 12 of those and criticism after making a false claim that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile.

The latter led No 10 policy chief Munira Mirza to resign, while four other aides - including his chief of staff and private secretary - also resigned last week.

Her replacement in the policy unit, Tory MP Andrew Griffith, has written a piece for the Conservative Home website, outlining his priorities, including tackling the NHS backlog and dealing with the cost of living crisis.

He added: "So long as [the public] see that we are focussing on them and their needs rather than fighting amongst ourselves, I believe that they will continue to place their trust in us.

"It is time for we Conservatives to unite, to support the prime minister and to get on with the job."

But several Conservative MPs have handed in letters of no confidence in the PM, including former minister Nick Gibb, with 54 needed to trigger a vote on his leadership.

It comes as Mr Johnson's wife, Carrie, has said she is the target of a "brutal briefing campaign" by his enemies, after a book alleged she influences the prime minister's decision-making.