Tory MPs shouldn’t bottle again. Will they send the letters in?
The last time there was an opportunity to oust Johnson was in January though at the time there wasn’t the strength of opinion to carry this through.
With the Gray report coming out in the next couple of days there is never going to be a better moment to get rid of the current leadership.
For Tory MPs this is about saving their party and saving their seats and there can be little doubt that without Johnson at the helm their prospects at a general election would be much better. He is the big reason why they have struggled so much in elections and why the polls have been dour. If confirmation were needed they should just ask those who have been canvassing in the by-elections.
Who knows? It might just be that acting at this moment could save Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton for the party.
Will they do it? I don’t know but the faint hearts from January might have learned their lesson. Johnson is not going to go on his own accord and they need to push.
For punters this might be the moment to bet. The odds of a 2022 Johnson exit have moved up from a 15.6% one four days ago to a 31% chance now.