Boris Johnson is facing further calls to resign, as Tobias Ellwood became the latest Tory MP to say he wants to oust him from office.
The Bournemouth East MP said he would be submitting a letter of no confidence in the PM, amid the ongoing row over lockdown parties in No 10.
He joins colleague Peter Aldous, who said on Tuesday he had done the same.
At least 54 Tories must submit letters to set up a vote on the PM’s future.
A handful of Tory MPs, including Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, have said they have submitted letters to the backbench 1922 Committee, which runs leadership contests.
But the exact number of letters submitted is not known.
Mr Johnson is seeking to head off a leadership challenge prompted by weeks of damaging headlines about parties in government buildings held whilst Covid restrictions were in place.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson refused to confirm press reports that he was at a party in his Downing Street flat on 13 November 2020.
The gathering is one of 12 events in Downing Street and Whitehall being investigated by the Metropolitan Police for alleged Covid-rule breaking.
“Surely he doesn’t need to wait for an investigation to tell us exactly where he was?” asked Mr Blackford.
Mr Johnson said processes had to be followed and he was getting on with delivering the government’s recovery plan.
Mr Ellwood, who chairs the Commons Defence Committee, said he thought it was “inevitable” the 54 letters threshold would be reached.
Adding that Mr Johnson should set up a vote on his leadership himself, the former minister said: “This is all only going one way – and will invariable slide towards a very ugly place.”
source- bbc world