By-election defeats: Ex-leader Michael Howard calls for Boris Johnson to go

Former Conservative leader Michael Howard has called for Boris Johnson to resign following by-election defeats in Tiverton and Honiton, and Wakefield.

Lord Howard told the BBC's World at One programme that fresh leadership was needed and urged MPs to act.

Mr Johnson won a confidence vote this month, which cannot be repeated for a year under current rules.

But Lord Howard said the rules should change or the cabinet should follow Oliver Dowden's example in resigning.

The peer said: "[Mr Johnson's] biggest asset has always been his ability to win votes but I'm afraid yesterday's results make it clear that he no longer has that ability.

"The best person in the Conservative Party to judge the mood, both of the party and of the electorate, is its chairman... I think the party, and even more importantly the country, would now be better off under new leadership."

Lord Howard said Partygate had revealed an "unacceptable" culture that "came from the top".

He said: "I think [the by-election defeats] makes clear that my view is shared by very large numbers of people in Yorkshire and Devon - places so different that I think they can reasonably be regarded as representative of the country as a whole."

But, given Mr Johnson wanted to stay on as leader, Mr Howard urged MPs to take matters into their own hands, suggesting frontbenchers consider quitting and backbenchers hold another confidence vote.

Senior Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown earlier said there were "difficult decisions" to be made.

As treasurer of the backbench 1922 Committee, he would not speculate about a potential rule change, but said he felt his own position was under pressure, despite holding a majority of more than 20,000 votes.

"We have seen a very serious and large defeat in two seats in two different areas of the country," he said. "If there were a by-election in my seat tomorrow it would be difficult to hold."

He urged colleagues to "think very carefully about the future" about how to "remedy the situation" in time for the next election.

MPs would have to listen to what Mr Johnson had to say and then "make a judgement as to whether we think that's a satisfactory explanation or whether we should actually take steps to have a new prime minister", adding: "We will have to make some difficult decisions, no doubt."

Earlier this month, 148 Conservative MPs told Mr Johnson they no longer had confidence in him as leader, leaving the prime minister weakened but still in post.

The failed challenge was criticised by veteran Tories for being uncoordinated and premature, as now those who want him to go would either need Mr Johnson to resign, or re-write of the rules to allow another vote of confidence.

Sir Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon, told Sky News he had told Boris Johnson personally that he needs to "look in the mirror and do better" because the Conservative Party is "about more than one man".

The former Lord Chancellor admitted it was "frustrating" for those on the party's sidelines to see a "lack of focus" from the government, but he stopped short of calling for the prime minister's resignation, saying he did not believe "throwing over the captain now" would be the right response.

But there were more optimistic voices, with one source saying these results were "priced in".

Deputy PM Dominic Raab said the government needed to be "relentlessly focused".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think we've had distractions because of partygate, because of too much Westminster internal focus when people want to see us focused on their priorities."

He added: "Yes, we're going to be relentlessly focused on delivery, not allow the distractions of recent times to take our eye off the ball."

And his cabinet colleague, Home Secretary Priti Patel told Times radio that the contests had been fought against a "difficult and challenging backdrop".

The prime minister's message after these bruising defeats is that there is a job to do to address people's concerns, particularly around the cost of living.

The message from him and his team is that "we will keep going" - and there are no plans to cut short the prime minister's trips to the Commonwealth conference in Rwanda - or upcoming G7 and Nato summits.

But back home, many of his own MPs are desperate for a sign, or message to them, about how he plans to turn things around.

For some usual suspects, who have already called for him to go, these votes have solidified their view that he is not the person to lead them into the next general election.

But the ones to watch are those who have so far, publicly, been loyal but are now weighing up their options.

The Tory MPs in genuinely marginal seats - if a safe one like Tiverton can be turned, where does this leave them?

And then there are some government ministers who, privately, have expressed discontent at the prime minister's handling of Partygate, the cost of living, and other policies including Brexit and their Rwanda asylum plan. Do they continue to peg their careers to his fortunes?

It'll be tricky for the prime minister to alleviate worries while out of the country all week. But it's a tricky dilemma for him.

Come back, and this could signal a sign of panic when he wants to show he's getting on with the job. But stay away, and he leaves his own team wondering what the plan is.