Boris Johnson says ministers should focus on ‘cutting costs of government’ after William Hague says his position is ‘untenable’. This live blog is now closed
From 15h ago
Johnson tells cabinet they can now 'draw a line' under Partygate and focus on issues like cutting costs of government
Boris Johnson used his opening address to cabinet this morning to seek to draw a line under Partygate. PA Media has his words, and he tried to flesh out the line in the press notice issued early this morning (see 9.41am) about how the government is now focusing on “what the people of this country care about most”. Here are the main points.
- Johnson claimed yesterday’s vote was “very important” because it meant the government could now “draw a line” under Partygate. He said:
It was a very important day because we are able now to draw a line under the issues that our opponents want to talk about and we are able to get on talking about the issues, what the issues that I think the people want ... and what we are doing to help them and to take the country forward. That is what we are going to do. We are going to focus exclusively on that.
- He claimed the government had a “massive agenda” for change. He said:
We are going to get on with the massive agenda that we were elected to deliver in 2019.
It is a huge, huge thing that we are all part off, to really transform infrastructure, skills and technology, uniting and levelling up across the country, unleashing potential across the whole of the UK.
It is the totally morally, socially, economically, politically the right thing to do and we should be proud, proud, proud of what we’re doing.
- He said he wanted ministers to focus on “cutting the costs of government”. Arguing that the government was making a “huge investment” in public services, he said:
But it’s not enough just to spend money. We have got to spend it wisely.
We as Conservative ministers, we have got to make sure at every stage that we are driving reform and driving value.
So what I’m going to ask you all to do in each of your departments is make sure that you’re thinking the whole time about cutting the costs of government, about cutting the costs that business has to face and of course cutting the costs that everybody else faces, families up and down the country.
But he also said ministers should come up with ideas for public service reform too.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I’m going to ask everybody to come forward with ways in which we can, as I say, cut costs, drive reform and make sure that we understand that in the end, it is people who have the best feel for how to spend their own money rather than the government or the state.
And that is our fundamental, Conservative instinct and that way, I think we will be able to get on with our agenda, making this the most prosperous, the most successful economy in Europe.
- But he also said organisations like the Passport Office and the DVLA had to be more efficient. “I think in particular people deserve to get their passport and their driving licence just as much as they deserve to get their test, their scan or their screen on time, promptly and we’ve got to focus on that,” he said.
- He claimed the government could deliver tax cuts in the future. He said:
We will have the scope, by delivering tax cuts, I think, to deliver considerable growth in employment and economic growth.
Johnson and other ministers like talking up Tory proposals that would cut tax, but overall the tax burden has risen considerably under his premiership.
Afternoon summary
- Boris Johnson has told his cabinet that yesterday’s confidence vote was “very important” because it meant the government could now “draw a line” under Partygate. (See 11.16am.) But William Hague, the former Tory leader, used his column in the Times to say that that Johnson’s position is now untenable and that he should quit. (See 9.23am.)
- Rebel Conservatives have given Johnson until the party conference to change direction, saying rules could be altered to allow another challenge.
- Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has declared himself “very happy” at Johnson’s confidence vote win.
- Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has said the NHS cannot be “complacent” about funding and that it must show it is spending money efficiently. Speaking at an Institute for Government event, he said:
What I would say to the NHS is that we should not be complacent about the fact that healthcare spending now accounts for a huge proportion of departmental expenditure, a significant proportion of the country’s GDP.
And I think the public feel a sense of real jeopardy and anxiety about the future of the NHS, and there are siren voices on the right that have always been there who say this system is simply not sustainable and shouldn’t we look at an insurance-based model or shouldn’t we look at people paying for certain types of healthcare in addition to the ones they already pay for. I don’t think we should be complacent about that.”
As well as making the case to the Treasury for greater investment in health and social care, the thing I would say to the NHS and social care leaders is you can’t be complacent about demonstrating that you are spending that money well, and I won’t be able to be complacent about demonstrating that we’re spending that money well if I’m the secretary of state for health and social care.
Government 'genuinely open-minded' about future of BBC licence fee, peers told
The government is “genuinely open-minded” about the future of the BBC funding model despite Nadine Dorries’ concerns about the licence fee, culture minister Julia Lopez told the House of Lords. PA Media says:
Dorries, the culture secretary, announced earlier this year that the corporation’s licence fee will be frozen for the next two years, confirming she wants to find a new funding model before the current deal expires in 2027.
Lopez, minister for media, data, and digital infrastructure, appeared before the Lords communications committee as part of its inquiry into the future funding of the BBC.
She said: “The government is genuinely open-minded about the right model and we are seeking for somebody to survey the choices open to any government about the right way of funding the BBC and we are doing that in advancement of 2027 so that when we look at what we seek the BBC to achieve post-2027 we have a sense of how the best way of funding that will be.
“Looking at the licence fee itself, I think it is challenged by the technological revolution ....
“It is regressive that you pay the same regardless of your circumstances, it’s enforced through criminal sanctions and I know this is something [Dorries] has [been] particularly exercised about because she is concerned about conviction rates in particular for women.
“It is also quite expensive to administer ...
“There is an open question as to whether it can [be replaced] and maybe government decides it can’t and while the secretary of state has made clear her own position having serious concerns about the licence fee, she also said she is open-minded to what the right model is and if the review comes back and suggests that these are the pros and cons of other models and on balance the licence fee is better, I don’t think she would entirely dismiss that.”
Updated at 17.36 BST
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, has met Keir Starmer and other MPs before the imminent publication of the government’s bill that would allow it to abandon parts of the Northern Ireland protocol. In a statement, he says he urged Starmer and other parliamentarians to understand why the DUP wants to see the protocol replaced. He said:
Real progress is only made in Northern Ireland when there is consensus, yet the protocol was foisted upon the people of Northern Ireland despite every unionist MLA and MP opposing it. It was madness to press ahead and ignore the unionist opposition. Unlike Westminster, we operate power sharing in Northern Ireland, not majority rule. Not one unionist MLA supports the protocol. That represents more than 40% of the votes cast at the recent election.
The protocol must be replaced by arrangements that restore our place within the United Kingdom and the new arrangements must command the support of unionists as well as nationalists.
Critics would say the protocol was foisted on Northern Ireland because of Brexit, which was backed by the DUP but implemented in Northern Ireland despite the fact that 56% of people in Northern Ireland voted against it.
This is from Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, on the results of the vote on her party’s ministerial code motion earlier. (See 4.24pm.)
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Tom Larkin at Sky News has a useful list of government ministers and PPSs who did not make statements on social media saying they would be backing Boris Johnson. This will be one to dig out when the next reshuffle takes place, to cross-reference against people getting sacked.
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Sam Coates at Sky says George Freeman claims he should not be on the list (even though his public comments did not include unambiguous support for the PM).
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Labour forced a division on its motion on beefing up the ministerial code (see 1.48pm), even though the government was not voting against. (You can do that by getting someone to shout “no” when the Speaker calls the vote, and putting up tellers for the no side.) The motion was passed by 215 votes to 0.
Updated at 17.03 BST
Nigel Mills, the Conservative MP for Amber Valley, told the BBC that, although he voted against Boris Johnson yesterday, he was now willing to back the government. He said:
I voted against the prime minister yesterday and I wanted to see a change made, but I accept the result that my colleagues by a majority over 60 wanted to keep the prime minister – effectively saying we should forgive the indiscretions of the lockdown period and move on.
So that I think is the right approach now for the party, the government and the country. We’ve got a lot of serious crises that need tackling, we should get behind the government to do that.
that Priti Patel is distancing herself from Boris Johnson – she did not tweet her backing for the prime minister before yesterday’s confidence vote, unlike almost all other senior cabinet members – her office has today insisted that she does still give him her backing. “She is supportive of the PM as you would expect. Any suggestion to the contrary is false,” an aide said.
Allies of Patel have expressed concern that she may be moved from the Home Office in a reshuffle – a move which she would be expected to oppose.
Updated at 17.03 BST
Boris Johnson told cabinet this morning it was time to “draw a line” under Partygate. (See 11.16am.) This is what my colleague Marina Hyde has to say about this notion in her column today on the no-confidence vote.
Today’s other official angle is that last night’s horror show allows the government to “draw a line” under leadership speculation, and to stop the Tory infighting. A reminder: things we’ve done fairly recently to stop Tory infighting include having a referendum, having two general elections, and having no-confidence votes in both the past two leaders. How’s it working out for us, would you say? A significant number of the exhausted British public will feel they’ve worked harder on this relationship than their own marriages.
Still, Boris can change! He can make it work again with the voters! Settle an argument: who’s more likely to rekindle their relationship, Boris Johnson and the electorate, or Johnny Depp and Amber Heard? You’d think the latter would have a better shot at renewing their vows.
You can read Marina’s full article here.
With Hannibal Johnson safe in his job for now, the Tory party can carry on devouring itself
Updated at 17.04 BST
Labour says its proposed independent integrity and ethics commission would strengthen way standards enforced for MPs
At the start of the Commons debate on the Labour motion on strengthening the ministerial code, Michael Ellis, the Cabinet Office minister, said government MPs would not be voting against. That means the motion should pass when the debate ends in the next hour or so. (See 1.48pm.)
Here are some of the other lines from the opening speeches.
- Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, accused Boris Johnson of downgrading standards in public life. Opening the debate, she said:
We all are [proud of British values], but the conduct of this prime minister undermines those values – rigging the rules that he himself is under investigation for breaching, downgrading standards, debasing the principles of public life before our very eyes.
There is nothing decent about the way that he has acted. And what example does he set? This prime minister’s example of leadership: illegally proroguing parliament, breeding a Downing Street culture where his staff felt able to break lockdown rules including himself, putting the very standards that underpin our democracy to the shredder.
- Ellis rejected claims that Boris Johnson weakened the ministerial code when he published a revised version of it last month. He said:
It is, frankly, fake news to say, as some have, that it has been weakened. It is the exact opposite, it has been strengthened. In doing so he has unambiguously drawn on the advice of both the independent adviser on ministerial interests and the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
But Rayner said the changes announced by the prime minister did not go far enough because he had not implemented the recommendations from the Committee on Standards in Public Life in full. In a blog, cited in the debate by the Tory MP Danny Kruger, Tim Durrant from the Institute for Government thinktank said it was wrong to claim that Johnson had changed the code to stop him having to resign if he was found to have lied to parliament. But Durrant criticised the revised version of the code because it did not give the independent adviser on ministerial interests the right to initiate his own investigations, and Durrant queried other aspects of the rewrite too. He said:
Beyond the code and the role of the adviser, the most interesting part of [the] announcement is the accompanying statement from the Cabinet Office. In grandiose language, the statement sets out the government’s view that parliament can have no role whatsoever in upholding standards inside government as that would risk “conflating the executive and the legislature” ...
Changes to the foreword [to the code] also removed reference to the Nolan principles (though these are embedded in the code) and the impartiality of the civil service. In the statement and foreword, Johnson and his allies effectively state that they do not believe anyone should have the right to question how they behave in office once elected.
- Rayner said Labour would set up an independent integrity and ethics commission that will beef up the way standards for politicians are enforced. She explained:
Labour’s ethics commission will bring the existing committees and bodies that oversee standards and government under a single independent body removed from politicians.
Under our new commission, we would have powers to launch investigations without ministerial approval, collect evidence and decide sanctions.
Honesty matters, integrity matters and decency matters. We should be ambitious for high standards, and we should all be accountable.
- John Penrose, the Conservative MP who resigned yesterday as the government’s anti-corruption champion, claimed that Johnson’s broke the ministerial code in his Partygate activities because, as the Sue Gray report argued, he did not show leadership – one of the seven Nolan principles for integrity in public life required under the code. In response, Ellis did not accept that. The fact that Johnson broke the rules inadvertently was a factor, he said. (Ellis seemed to think Penrose was referring to Johnson being fined, but Penrose was talking about wider failures of leadership exposed by Partygate.)
- Rayner criticised claims by ministers that it was now time to move on from Partygate. She explained:
I have heard ministers on the media in the last 24 hours talking about how we must draw a line, how we must move on. But many people in this country cannot draw a line, cannot move on whilst this prime minister is in office, because it triggers them and what they experienced and the trauma that their family faced during the crisis.
Updated at 17.08 BST
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Former Brexit minister Lord Frost urges Johnson to cut taxes
Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, told Radio 4’s World at One that he thought the government’s main problem was that it was not following Conservative principles, particularly on tax and the economy. He said:
Economic policy has drifted away from where the core of supporters, voters and membership want to go and we need to get back to it. And I believe that the prime minister would like to do that.
This prime minister is always best when he trusts his instincts and does unconventional things. And that’s what got us through the Brexit negotiations.
Frost also said that the government should reverse the increase in national insurance. Asked if he favoured abandoning the increase, he replied:
Yes - I think that all tax rises that we brought in and the corporation tax ones that are due to come in soon ought to be reversed. It is not Conservative to be raising taxes, and it is undermining growth and prosperity. We need to improve productivity and investment, and not weaken it ...
I don’t think it’s a particularly good solution to the social care problem, and I don’t think much of the money will end up going to it anyway.
I think the choice at the moment is, do we prioritise the deficit or the debt or do we prioritise growth and getting the economy going again, and I think for the time being we should be prioritising growth.
When Frost resigned as Brexit minister in December, he said he was because he was unhappy with the direction of government policy in a range of areas.
We will lower taxes - but must 'get the balance right', insists No 10
Boris Johnson will lower taxes eventually but must "get the balance right", his spokesman insisted this afternoon amid criticism of the current tax burden facing Britons.
Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, warned the Mr Johnson it was "not Conservative to be raising taxes and it is undermining growth and prosperity" in the wake of National Insurance and corporation tax rises.
Meanwhile Esther McVey, a former work and pensions minister, claimed the pandemic turned the Government "into socialists", urging the PM to change tack after he survived yesterday's vote of no confidence among Tory MPs.
But Mr Johnson's spokesman said: "We recognise the overall tax burden is higher than it has been, but that is for pragmatic reasons because of the global challenges we're facing due to the pandemic and the war in Europe.
"Some of the changes that we have made are to ensure the Government and the public services are able to tackle some of these challenges. For example, it is because of things like the levy that our NHS is able to start making inroads into the Covid backlog.
"So it's always about getting the balance right and the Chancellor and the Prime Minister have been very clear that as we move away from these unique challenges of the global pandemic and the war in Europe, the intention is to further reduce taxes."
And that's it for another Blockbuster day...
The calm after the storm could still have been sponsored by Netflix.
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, told Tuesday's Cabinet meeting the NHS was akin to a Blockbuster store in a world of streaming services and said the Government was right to invest massive sums to fix that.
As Boris Johnson addressed his ministers, he was in bullish form after winning yesterday's confidence vote and said it was time to focus on issues the public cares about - and not what he characterised as the whims of his "opponents".
Those "opponents" include 144 of his own rank and file, but for many others now is the time to let the Prime Minister move on.
Asked on LBC if he felt Mr Johnson's contrition was genuine, Andy Street, the Tory West Midlands Mayor, said: "I do, actually. Yes, I do."
But only when voters go to the polls on June 23 - in Tiverton & Honiton and Wakefield respectively - will we have our first indication of whether the British electorate is equally willing to give the PM a second chance.
Deafening public discord over Boris Johnson bursts his ‘media bubble’ claims
"Tonight, we have the opportunity to end weeks of media speculation and take this party forward," read Boris Johnson’s begging letter to MPs.
Designed to fortify his fanbase ahead of the vote on his future, the three-page missive, addressed "Dear colleague" and personally signed "Yours ever, Boris" had a recurring theme, writes Camilla Tominey.
The 907-word plea for support appeared to suggest that the press were somehow to blame for the predicament that the Prime Minister now finds himself in.
While it may always be tempting for politicians in peril to shoot the messenger, the epistle appears to overlook one pertinent fact.
Camilla Tominey: Tory voters just don't trust Boris
Biggest rail action since 1980s 'very disappointing' - Shapps
Grant Shapps branded news of the biggest strike on the railways since 1989 "very disappointing" as he urged unions to come back to the negotiating table.
The Transport Secretary was speaking just over an hour after the RMT, the transport union, confirmed three days of industrial action across June 21, 23, and 25.
"Very disappointing RMT are taking action that could damage the rail network after taxpayers contributed £16billion, £600 per household, to keep jobs during Covid," Mr Shapps wrote on Twitter.
"We're working with industry to reduce disruption caused by strikes but urge unions to come to talks with employers."
The strike action will affect Network Rail and 13 train operators following an overwhelming union vote.
Boris played a mediocre hand badly, and the PM looks like toast
Committee Room 14, 9pm. Beneath portraits of political giants, a mass of Tories gathered, some so rarely seen in the Commons they didn’t recognise each other. Sir Graham Brady swooped in, writes Boris Johnson.
The result, no confidence in Boris Johnson: 148. Willing to stick with him till Tuesday lunchtime at least: 211. The PM is toast.
Rewind. Boris was told there would be a contest on Sunday. He sat through the Jubilee parade smiling as Sir Cliff Richard went past on a bus, giving nothing away. You’ve got to admire that.
Sir Graham broke the news to a hungover nation at 8am on Monday, in his usual enigmatic manner (one can never tell if he knows everything or nothing at all), and Number 10 immediately swung into action, playing a mediocre hand badly.
Tim Stanley: Why it may all be downhill from here
The six rebel tribes of Tory MPs facing down Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson won yesterday's confidence vote in his premiership, averting the immediate threat of a Conservative leadership race.
But the Tory Whips faced a far larger rebellion than expected, with 148 MPs voting against their leader.
Unlike previous rebellions against No 10, the vote was not thought to have been an organised campaign with a sophisticated "shadow whipping" operation.
Mr Johnson is instead facing down several different camps of MPs with grievances against him.
Tony Diver, our Whitehall Correspondent, takes a closer look
Janet Daley: This was a genuine and necessary rebellion with moral force
A leader now damaged but not defeated. A party having triumph, now divided for the moment at least, irreconcilably. Is this hell? asks Janet Daley.
The result was terrible for Boris Johnson but not so terrible that he has to disappear immediately. The dissidents have had a victory of sorts but not a definitive one. They are stuck with a leader whom they have, in startling numbers, repudiated.
There will be a chorus of recrimination about this, about how the rebels overplayed their hand and were tactically chaotic. There was no basic agreement even on their motivations: was this a last gasp Remainer revenge or an expression of sincere disgust over those infamous parties and the collapse of Conservative principle?
Who can be sure? The justification was never very clear. This was a kind of inchoate scream rather than an expression of focused rage.
Janet Daley: Why yesterday was a historic turning point
Not all rebels are convinced
Asked what Mr Johnson should now do to save his premiership, one rebel MP simply texts:
Resign for the good of the country and the party.
Partygate critic backed PM last night
One of Boris Johnson's vocal backbench critics over partygate ultimately decided to support him in yesterday's confidence vote.
Darren Henry, the MP for Broxtowe, said in January he had been "inundated" with correspondence from constituents, before adding in April "it is right that those who break rules are promised" and demanding an apology from Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
The Telegraph has now had confirmation from Mr Henry's office that he was among the 211 Tories who voted in favour of the PM last night.
Tory dramas are taking their toll, says Sinn Fein
Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill said "infighting" in the Conservative Party is having an impact on the lives of people in Northern Ireland, writes James Crisp, our Europe Editor.
"The Tories themselves are bad for workers and families, the Tories themselves brought us austerity, they brought us Brexit, they brought us all of this mess over the course of recent weeks and they've brought us now, their efforts that are deliberately attempting to over ride parts of the protocol that they themselves agreed, so breaching international law," she said.
"I believe that's going to continue over the course of this week. Their infighting is actually having an impact on people's lives here and that's not acceptable."
Tim Stanley: Modern-day Cavaliers show the Roundheads how to have a good time in government
The morning after the confidence vote, the Commons was not just calm, but half-empty, writes Tim Stanley. The rebellion was having a lie-in.
I guess many backbenchers, having done their duty or recorded their dissent, had returned home to finish their holiday or their affair with the gardener, leaving Cabinet members to face a pep talk by the Prime Minister, who promised, in a twist worthy of Stranger Things, to govern like a Tory.
Wahey! So what can we expect, boss? A tax cut for anyone who can prove they vote Conservative? Knighthood for the over-50s? A war on the Sussexes?
Or – and this one is apparently real – a pledge to upgrade the NHS from a Blockbuster VHS service to a health system fit for the age of Netflix, a promise that will have been lost on backbench dinosaurs who prefer vinyl and leeches.
While we’re turning back the clock, to strikes and inflation and good old Mrs T, Angela Rayner headed a motion in the Commons dressed as Barbara Castle, in a fluffy but sensible pink ensemble straight out of the Seventies. Rather than push for a confidence vote it would lose, Labour triggered a debate about standards in public life.
Tim Stanley: Tories bask in post-vote glow - as Labour try to take the shine off
Act like a Conservative again, Esther McVey tells Boris Johnson
Esther McVey has urged Boris Johnson and his Government to "find their inner Conservatism" in the wake of yesterday's bruising confidence vote.
In a punchy intervention, the former work and pensions secretary said Britons deserved a premiership that "believes in Brexit", has a "coherent" energy policy and will "do more to stop illegal immigration".
"If Boris Johnson is going to regain the trust of the public, more than ever, he and his Government need to dig deep and find their inner Conservatism," she said.
Writing for the Express, Ms McVey added: "They need to find their way back to the Conservative path. Covid turned them into socialists - removing even the most basic freedoms, spending money as if there was no tomorrow and putting up taxes to the highest levels in 70 years.
"The country is begging us to move on from Partygate, and to face the consequences of it... We need to acknowledge and accept the damage that was done to trust in the Government as we seek to win it back."
'We do not have an economically conservative government'
Lord Frost's comments on the tax burden will have touched a nerve this afternoon because they echo the thoughts of a number of backbenchers.
One former Cabinet minister told me that their frustration with the PM was not about partygate - which they labelled a "Westminster bubble issue" - but economic matters.
"The parties are a conducting rod for wider discontent," the former minister said. "We do not have an economically conservative government.
"Does this Government have a direction at all, or just what we have to do to get through to Friday? Boris needs to fully restructure his government and develop a clear narrative, and do it very quickly.
"There needs to be a lot more first-among-equals, and a lot less 'Tudor Court'. He needs to show that he is able to reconstruct his government and he is able to change."
No 10: Tax is so high for 'pragmatic reasons'
Dominic Penna taking you through the biggest political news and reaction throughout the rest of the day.
Downing Street has defended itself from Lord Frost's criticisms by saying the tax burden is so high for "pragmatic reasons".
Lord Frost urged Boris Johnson to scrap the National Insurance hike he introduced in April - but Mr Johnson's official spokesman said: "It's always about getting the balance right."
We recognise the overall tax burden is higher than it has been, but that is for pragmatic reasons because of the global challenges we're facing due to the pandemic and the war in Europe.
Some of the changes that we have made are to ensure the Government and the public services are able to tackle some of these challenges. For example, it is because of things like the levy that our NHS is able to start making inroads into the Covid backlog.
I talked to you this morning about the one million scans, checks and tests done by the new diagnostic centres. Now those centres need to be funded. And they are funded through things like the levy.
This is what Prime Minister Jeremy Hunt would do
Jeremy Hunt is seen as one of the potential frontrunners if a Conservative Party leadership contest were to take place.
Since losing to Boris Johnson in the final round of the 2019 contest, he has used his position on the backbenchers to launch a series of attacks on the Government.
Yesterday, he issued a rallying call to fellow MPs to turn their back on Mr Johnson ahead of the confidence vote and made it clear that he would be voting against the PM.
Camilla Turner looks at what Britain could look like under Mr Hunt
Tories would 'lose big time' if election held tomorrow
Michael Fabricant, the Tory MP, said the Conservative Party would "lose big time” if a general election was called now, following Boris Johnson's bruising confidence vote victory last night.
Mr Fabricant said: “If there were a general election tomorrow, we would lose and we would lose big time.
“But, you know what, there isn’t going to be a general election tomorrow. There’s a lot of water that’s got to flow under the bridge between now and the general election.
“Boris Johnson is a winner by his nature and I don’t think he is going to be a fool and miss this opportunity now to rebuild the support for the party, which he had back in 2019.”
Boris Johnson's fightback plan
Boris Johnson is set to table legislation within days to go it alone over the Northern Ireland Protocol, as he seeks to draw a line under the confidence vote with a string of policy announcements.
The proposed law to allow the UK Government to unilaterally suspend parts of the Brexit agreement that governs trade in Northern Ireland could come as soon as this week.
The Prime Minister will also reveal an expansion of Margaret Thatcher’s Right to Buy policy later this week alongside Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, which could potentially help millions of people onto the housing ladder.
You can read the full story on the PM's fightback plan here.
Labour criticises Sajid Javid over Netflix remark
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has criticised Sajid Javid’s comment at Cabinet that the NHS is a “Blockbuster healthcare system in the age of Netflix” (see the post below at 12.40).
The Labour frontbencher said: “I think it’s slightly absurd that 12 years into a Government we have government ministers who talk in the biggest generalities without plans to deliver anything.”
He added: “We have a Government that is not governing and doesn’t have answers. It just has generalities.”
'My 100 per cent focus is on my role as Foreign Secretary'
Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, has been earmarked as one of the likely frontrunners in a potential Tory leadership contest.
Ms Truss was asked this afternoon during an interview with the BBC what last night's confidence vote means for her leadership ambitions.
She said: “My 100 per cent focus is on my role as Foreign Secretary. There is a lot to do. We need to carry on supporting Ukraine, we need to make sure that Russia is driven out of Ukraine and that we get successful peace for Ukraine, we need to help them rebuild.
“I am also working on the Northern Ireland Protocol, making sure we restore the balance to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, bringing forward legislation. I can assure you that is taking up all of my time.”
Liz Truss urges Tory rebels to 'get behind' PM
Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, was asked what her message is to the 148 Tory MPs who voted against Boris Johnson last night.
She told the BBC: “My message is we had a vote yesterday, there was a clear result in that vote. Now is the time to get behind the Prime Minister to deliver on what people in Britain want to see.”
Liz Truss dodges question on PM's authority
Liz Truss has refused to be drawn on whether Boris Johnson's authority has been undermined by last night's confidence vote.
The Foreign Secretary was asked the question during an interview with the BBC and she said: “The Prime Minister remains committed to our agenda. He has already delivered on Brexit, he has delivered on Covid, on helping the economy recover, he has delivered on supporting Ukraine in the face of appalling Russian aggression.
“That is what the Cabinet want him to carry on doing and that is what the country want him to carry on doing.”
Sir Patrick Vallance: Partygate scandal 'very disappointing'
Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, has said it is "very disappointing" that Covid rules were not followed at all times in No 10 during the pandemic.
Asked about partygate, Sir Patrick said: "I think it was really important at all stages that everyone stuck to the rules, there is no question about that.
"It only works when people stick to them and it is very disappointing that that wasn't the case."
Sir Patrick was speaking after collecting an honour from the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace for helping to lead the UK’s battle against coronavirus.
William joked with him that this was “second time lucky” as he presented Sir Patrick, who was originally knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours list, with an upgraded award which makes him a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
PM 'focused on uniting and levelling up across the country'
Tory rebel: 'We should get behind the Government'
Nigel Mills, a Tory MP who voted against Boris Johnson last night, said backbenchers need to accept the result of the ballot and "get behind the Government".
The Amber Valley MP told the BBC: "I voted against the Prime Minister yesterday and I wanted to see a change made, but I accept the result that my colleagues by a majority over 60 wanted to keep the Prime Minister – effectively saying we should forgive the indiscretions of the lockdown period and move on.
“So that I think is the right approach now for the party, the Government and the country. We’ve got a lot of serious crises that need tackling, we should get behind the Government to do that.”
Government has 'drifted away' from right course
Lord Frost has argued the Government has "drifted away" from where it needs to be on key issues.
He told the BBC: “I think basically the problem is there isn’t a particularly recognisably Conservative proposition for people to get behind.
“The Government’s economic policy particularly, though not only that, has drifted away from where the core of the supporters and voters and membership want to go and we need to get back to it.”
Lord Frost urges PM to reverse all tax rises
Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, has urged Boris Johnson to reverse all of the Government's tax rises.
Asked if he would argue in favour of getting rid of the National Insurance rise which came into effect in April, the Tory peer told the BBC: “Yes, I would. I think he should. I think all the tax rises that we brought in and the corporation tax ones that are due to come in soon ought to be reversed.
“It is not Conservative to be raising taxes and it is undermining growth and prosperity.
“We need to improve productivity and investment, not weaken it, so I think that is the path he should be going down and there are quite a few other things too.”
Lord Frost: PM must change course to save premiership
Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, said Boris Johnson can save his premiership if he changes the economic policy of the Government.
Asked if Mr Johnson had won the confidence vote by enough to govern, Lord Frost told the BBC: “Yes. I think actually both sides need to respect the result.
"The Prime Minister’s opponents have got to accept the fact that he won and his supporters and the Prime Minister himself I think have got to accept that a change of policy is needed, that the vote last night, when nearly 150 of your own MPs vote against you that is a sign of a big problem and I think the big problem is that we are delivering an economic policy that is not going to deliver prosperity and wealth and if we can change that, if he can change that then he can get onto a different path and save the premiership and the Government.”
Chopper's Politics Podcast
The Telegraph's Associate Editor Camilla Tominey and Whitehall Correspondent Tony Diver joined Christopher Hope at Telegraph towers today to react to Monday night's confidence vote.
They placed their bets on if the Prime Minister will still be leading the party by the next election, considered whether the Conservatives can please both heartland and Red Wall voters, and discussed potential next leaders.
You can listen to the podcast here.
PM to appear in front of Liaison Committee on July 6
The Liaison Committee has announced it has scheduled an evidence session with Boris Johnson for Wednesday July 6, starting at 3pm.
The themes for discussion are yet to be set. It follows the PM's appearance in front of the committee on March 30.
The powerful committee is populated by the MPs who chair Commons select committees.
Tories would be 'stupid' to allow PM to lead them into next election
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said the Tories would be "stupid" to allow Boris Johnson to lead them into the next general election against a Labour Party led by Sir Keir Starmer.
Asked if he has any leadership ambitions of his own, Mr Streeting told an event hosted by the Institute for Government think tank: "Keir is going to lead the Labour Party into the next general election. If the Conservative Party is stupid enough to field Boris Johnson in that contest, a race between Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson is one that I would relish and look forward to.
"In terms of 'is Wes Streeting the next leader, is Lisa Nandy or Rachel Reeves or Yvette Cooper or any of the other number of talented people that I work with the next leader', what people really underestimate in the Labour Party, and it is an important contrast to the Conservatives, is that we are a team, we are Keir's team, we are united as a team in terms of winning the next general election and so the job I hope and expect to do after the next general election is health and social care secretary, not anything else."
'Good for Labour but bad for the country'
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has claimed Boris Johnson staying in No 10 is "good for Labour but bad for the country".
Speaking at an event hosted by the Institute for Government think tank this afternoon, Mr Streeting said: "Well, I think it is good for Labour but bad for the country and what Conservative MPs have done is set I think a very dangerous precedent that says that a prime minister can lie to the House of Commons, lie to the country, break the laws that he makes and get away with it.
"And what I don't think those 211 or so Conservative MPs who voted for Boris Johnson, I think what they don't realise yet that they have done is take the toxicity and radioactivity of Boris Johnson and pollute the Conservative Party with it because there is no space, no hiding room now for the Conservative Party in the future to say 'that was all Boris Johnson, wasn't that a terrible mistake, nothing to do with us'.
"The entire Cabinet have been out on the record defending Boris Johnson, a majority of the Conservative parliamentary party have been out defending Boris Johnson and they have been defending the indefensible."
'No plans currently' for Cabinet reshuffle
Downing Street officials have insisted there are “no plans currently” for a Cabinet reshuffle following last night's confidence vote.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said that following the vote Boris Johnson “has a mandate to continue and focus on the issues that matter to the public and that’s what you saw this morning”.
Asked whether Mr Johnson was investigating whether any ministers voted against him, the spokesman said “not that I’m aware of”, adding that it was “deliberately an anonymous process by design”.
Sajid Javid told Cabinet the NHS is like 'Blockbuster in the age of Netflix'
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, told Cabinet that the UK has a "Blockbuster healthcare system in the age of Netflix" as he made a reference to the video rental firm and streaming giant.
A Downing Street readout of the Cabinet meeting said: "The Health and Social Care Secretary updated cabinet on the scale of the challenge post pandemic – saying we had a Blockbuster healthcare system in the age of Netflix.
"He said it was no longer simply an option to stick with the status quo. He said large-scale changes were needed in areas such as the use of technology and data to help frontline workers deliver the high-quality service the public expects."
'The Prime Minister has won fair and square'
Philip Davies, the Tory MP, said Boris Johnson won last night's confidence vote "fair and square" and he should now lead the Conservative Party into the next general election.
Asked how he would vote if there was another vote of confidence, he told the BBC: "I don't believe in just keep voting and voting and voting until you get the result you want.
"As far as I am concerned now the Prime Minister has won fair and square and he is entitled to my support and those of my colleagues. Until the general election, absolutely, which he will lead us into."
'I accept that I lost'
A Tory MP who voted against Boris Johnson at last night's confidence vote has said the Conservative rebels "have got to accept they have lost" and allow the Government to "move on".
Philip Davies told the BBC: "He has won. When people lose an election they have got to accept they have lost and let the people who won govern.
"When there is a leadership election not everybody votes for the winner but nobody says to the people who voted for somebody who didn't win 'oh you shouldn't now accept the result'.
"So why should it be any different now? We had our vote yesterday, I lost, I accept that I lost and we should move on."
Ex-Cabinet minister confirms vote against PM
Damian Green, the former first secretary of state, said he voted against Boris Johnson last night.
In comments reported by the Kent Online website, the Ashford MP said: "Today’s vote was the right time to reach that conclusion, and with great sadness I voted that I had no confidence in the Prime Minister.
"The result of the vote means that the Prime Minister will continue in office, so I will continue to support the government, and argue the case for the people of Ashford, as I have always done."
Volodymyr Zelensky welcomes result of confidence vote
Will there be a vote of no confidence in the Commons?
The Liberal Democrats are pushing to hold a vote of no confidence on Boris Johnson’s leadership in the House of Commons (see the post below at 8.33). This would give MPs from all parties a chance to vote on the PM’s future.
However, there is no clear path for the proposed Lib Dem motion to make it onto the floor of the Commons for a debate and a vote.
This is because parliamentary convention dictates that the ability to table no confidence motions is reserved for the Official Opposition - currently the Labour Party.
If Labour were to seek a similar vote to the one proposed by the Lib Dems then the Government, which is in control of what is debated in the Commons, would be expected to grant the request.
In exceptional circumstances the Commons Speaker can decide to grant time for a debate but seasoned Westminster watchers believe it would be extraordinary for Sir Lindsay Hoyle to do that for the Lib Dems in this situation.
So unless Labour decides to table a motion it appears very unlikely that a vote will happen.
'We've got to rebuild that trust'
A Welsh Conservative MP has said it was "not an easy decision" to support Boris Johnson in yesterday's confidence vote.
Craig Williams, the MP for Montgomeryshire, said the result was "not great" and admitted "we've got to pull the team back together".
He told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "I can see that 148 is a lot, and we've got to rebuild that trust.
"There is a lot of work to be done but I'm hoping that we see it as a wake-up call for those who voted in confidence, and a vent for those who clearly expressed no confidence at the moment and we win them back."
Dublin fears Tory divisions could impact Brexit talks
Simon Coveney, the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister, has expressed concerns that Tory infighting could impact negotiations between the UK and the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He said: “If those divisions within the Conservative Party impact on Ireland, because the Prime Minister or the British Government decides in order to maintain support within the party that they have to take a tougher line on Brexit, or on the Northern Ireland Protocol, well then obviously divisions in the Conservative Party and in the British Government impact on Ireland. And of course, that’s where we have a concern.”
He told RTE radio: “So whoever is the British prime minister, we will work with them, of course, but what we don’t want to see is Ireland being part of a strategy to maintain support within the Conservative Party in the context of hardening a position on the Northern Ireland Protocol.”
‘He has won the vote comprehensively’
Andrea Leadsom, the former Cabinet minister, published a statement last week in which she was heavily critical of Boris Johnson over the partygate scandal.
Ms Leadsom was asked this morning if she believes it is the “beginning of the end” for Mr Johnson’s premiership.
She told the BBC: “I think he has won the vote comprehensively and we are just getting on with the business.”
Asked if Mr Johnson has her support, she said: “The party gave its views yesterday and today is another day. We move on and I know the Prime Minister will want to focus on absolutely the priorities of this country.”
PM appoints new justice minister
Lord Wolfson, a Tory peer, resigned from his role as a justice minister in April this year. He said at the time that he had “no option” other than to resign over the partygate scandal because of the “repeated rule-breaking, and breach of the criminal law, in Downing Street” (you can read the original story here).
Boris Johnson has just announced a successor. Sir Christopher Bellamy QC has been appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice.
Sir Christopher is being conferred with a peerage to allow him to take the role.
Ian Blackford: PM suffered a 'moral defeat'
Ian Blackford, the SNP's leader in Westminster, said Boris Johnson has suffered a "moral defeat".
Mr Blackford said: "He can try and argue, as he has done, that he’s won the vote, but this is a moral defeat for the Prime Minister.
“You’ve got the situation that all the opposition parties and now 140 Tory MPs want this Prime Minister gone, he’s not going to be able to run away from this.”
He added: “Whether he goes today or whether it’s some months down the line this is a dead man walking, this is a man that will pay a price for his behaviour."
Senior Tory MP: 'This is not over'
Philip Dunne, a former minister and the current Tory chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, has confirmed he voted against Boris Johnson last night. He said the PM is facing "very choppy waters".
Speaking to BBC Radio Shropshire, the Ludlow MP said: “I took the view that it would be better to try to provide the opportunity for integrity, for a new vision for the party and for a new degree of competence at the heart of government.
“It’s not going to happen for now, but we’ll have to see what happens in the coming weeks and months. I think this is not over.”
He added: “He’s got some very difficult challenges ahead – the by-elections, he’s got this Privileges Committee investigation by parliamentarians into the issue that has triggered this – we’ve got some very difficult conditions ahead through the economy, we have got challenges with the Northern Irish Protocol to resolve.
“There are some very choppy waters ahead and it is going to be difficult to navigate for anyone.”
Angela Rayner: Boris Johnson would get 'hammered' at election
Boris Johnson would get "absolutely hammered" if he leads the Conservatives into a general election in the coming months, Angela Rayner has claimed.
The deputy leader of the Labour Party said: "The public have the power to remove Boris Johnson. He may think that he’s bought himself a bit of time, but people never forget that they didn’t get to say goodbye to their loved ones. The British public do not like liars, cheats and people that break the law.
“And I think that he is going to get absolutely hammered if he tries to have another general election on that basis.”
Boris Johnson promises tax cuts at Cabinet
Boris Johnson told a meeting of his Cabinet this morning that he believes the Government will be able to deliver tax cuts which will in turn drive economic growth.
He said: "If we go forward with that approach, continuing to unite and level up which is a magnificent agenda, totally the right agenda for the country, but also driving supply-side reform, driving improvement, we will start to see huge, huge changes, beneficial changes in our economy and we will have the scope by delivering tax cuts I think to deliver considerable growth in employment and economic progress.
"That is the way forward."
Boris Johnson says Government can now 'draw a line'
Boris Johnson told his Cabinet ministers at a meeting in No 10 this morning that last night's confidence vote will allow the Government to "draw a line".
Speaking at the start of the meeting, Mr Johnson said: "Good morning Cabinet, thank you all very much and very good to see you all and I think thank you by the way, everybody, for all your good work yesterday which was a very important day because we are able now to draw a line under the issues that our opponents want to talk about and we are able to get on with talking about what I think the people of this country want us to talk about which is what we are doing to help them and to take the country forward.
"That is what we are going to do. We are going to focus exclusively on that."
He added: "We are going to get on with the massive agenda that we were elected to deliver in 2019."
Lord Hague: 'It won't end well'
Lord Hague, the former Tory leader, said that something is likely to go "seriously wrong" with Boris Johnson's premiership after 148 of his MPs voted against him last night.
He told Times Radio: “How does it end? It is impossible to foresee how it ends except it won’t end well.
“When you have that level of disaffection in a political party, given that as Prime Minister you have to be able to call on the resources of the whole party, the enthusiasm of the whole party, inspire your MPs, ask any of them to serve in the Government, the great majority should be confident they will go into the next election saying ‘yes, this is the leader for the next five years’.
“If you are not in that position then something else is going to go seriously wrong. I don’t know what it will be but that would be my, hopefully, objective assessment.”
'This is like trying to drive along the M1 with two flat tyres'
Lord Hague, the former leader of the Conservative Party, said Boris Johnson's premiership is no longer "viable" as he compared it to a car with two flat tyres.
He told Times Radio: "What is going to happen now, I imagine what will happen… Boris Johnson will say it is business as usual and the Cabinet will rally around and everybody will take stock while the two by-elections take place.
"But there is a big problem here… this isn’t viable actually when more than 40 per cent of your party vote against you, particularly when nobody really organised that, that is the extraordinary thing… there was no plot or conspiracy or group of people whipping people to vote against Boris Johnson. More than 40 per cent decided really on their own to vote against him.
“That is very difficult then to proceed as party leader in the long term. This is like trying to drive along the M1 with two flat tyres. You can say you are at the steering wheel but is it really viable? You are not going to get to the end of the motorway.”
PM resigning would be a 'disaster'
A Tory MP has warned it would be a "disaster" for the Conservative Party and the country if Boris Johnson resigned after winning last night's vote of confidence.
Peter Bone was told that Mr Johnson had secured a lower proportion of the vote than Theresa May did at her confidence vote in December 2018.
He told Times Radio: “You mention Theresa May and Mrs Thatcher. I think Mrs Thatcher is the closer [comparison]. If Boris was to resign now after winning he would be similar to what Mrs Thatcher did.
“History has shown that when Mrs Thatcher resigned it was a disaster for the Conservative Party, it was a disaster for the country, so that is a good reason not to resign.”
Tory MP: PM won by 'pretty large margin'
Peter Bone, the Tory MP for Wellingborough, who is a supporter of Boris Johnson, said the Prime Minister's 63-vote victory last night represented a "pretty large margin".
He told Times Radio: “The result is very straightforward. The Conservative Party, the parliamentary party, has confidence in the Prime Minister. He won by a pretty large margin.”
Angela Rayner: PM is 'mortally wounded'
Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, said she believes Boris Johnson has been "mortally wounded" by last night's confidence vote.
She told Sky News: “I don’t think it is a good day. I think he is mortally wounded now and I think he has only got an 80-odd majority within Parliament and therefore he is pretty clear 70-odd percent of his backbenchers didn’t back him.
"So I think he should have done the right thing by now and resigned already, but this Prime Minister doesn’t really consider himself to follow rules.”
'It was clearly and decisively won'
The Conservative Party should “draw a line in the sand” following the confidence vote in Boris Johnson last night, according to Dominic Raab.
The Deputy Prime Minister told LBC Radio: “I think we draw a line in the sand after this vote, it was clearly and decisively won.
“We move forward to deliver for the people of the country and that is the way we do the right thing by our constituents.”
Labour not ruling out seeking vote of no confidence in Commons
Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, said her party would “consider all options” when asked if the Opposition could table a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson in Parliament.
Ms Rayner told BBC One’s Breakfast show: “Well, we will consider all options but to be honest I think the Prime Minister is just once again making it very difficult to deal with the issues that people face today.
“The cost-of-living crisis, the chaos that we have seen around the transport and our NHS that needs vital support, so therefore we do need to get on to those issues but we can’t do that while the Prime Minister continues to limp on because he has no confidence of his backbenchers, he has no confidence of any other political party and he has lost the will of the British people, so he should do the right thing and resign.”
Lib Dems push for PM no confidence vote in Commons
Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, is pushing to hold a vote of no confidence on Boris Johnson's leadership in the House of Commons.
The move would allow all MPs to vote on Mr Johnson's future - however, it is unclear exactly how Sir Ed intends to make the vote happen.
He said: "The lying lawbreaker in No 10 is clinging on by the skin of his teeth. Yesterday’s events have unleashed a civil war for the Conservatives and a summer of discontent for everyone else, where the cost of living emergency is ignored while Boris Johnson continues to fight for his own survival.
“Liberal Democrats are tabling a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister, so that Parliament has the opportunity to finally put an end to this sorry mess and kick him out of Downing Street. Every Conservative MP who has a shred of decency must back our motion and finally give Johnson the sack."
Pictured: Jeremy Hunt leaves his London home this morning
Boris Johnson vows to 'get on with the job' ahead of Cabinet
Boris Johnson will convene a meeting of his Cabinet in Downing Street this morning as he looks to stabilise his premiership.
You can tell it is a significant meeting because No 10 has issued a press release setting out what will be discussed ahead of time - something that only really happens on big days.
Speaking ahead of Cabinet, Mr Johnson said: "This is a government that delivers on what the people of this country care about most.
“We have pledged £37 billion to support households with their finances, made our communities safer through hiring 13,500 more police officers, and tackled the Covid backlogs in the NHS by opening nearly 100 Community Diagnostic Centres so people can access care closer to home.
“Today, I pledge to continue delivering on these priorities. We are on the side of hard-working British people, and we are going to get on with the job.”
Tobias Ellwood predicts PM will be gone by October
Tobias Ellwood has called for a change of ministers in the Cabinet in lieu of a change in prime minister, adding that he believes Boris Johnson has “a matter of months” left in his post.
He told Sky News: “There is a lot of work to be done: a reshuffle is now required – bring in fresh talent, and actually start to focus on the bigger issues, make the Cabinet construct actually work."
When asked how long he believes Mr Johnson will remain as Prime Minister, he added: “I think we’re talking a matter of months, up to party conference.”
The Conservative Party conference is due to take place at the start of October.
Tory rebel accepts vote result 'for the moment'
Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chairman of the Defence Select Committee, who has been calling for Boris Johnson to resign since February, said he accepts the result of the confidence motion “for the moment”.
The MP for Bournemouth East told Sky News: “This is far from a conclusive result – it’s not a defeat but it’s not a win. So for the moment I accept the democratic outcome and I encourage all colleagues to do the same.
“But 41 per cent is a significant chunk of MPs that now need to be included in shaping the party’s future."
Pictured: Boris Johnson leaves No 10 this morning
'By-elections aren't the acid test'
Two by-elections are due to take place towards the end of this month - one in Wakefield and one in Tiverton and Honiton.
Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister, sought to lower Tory expectations ahead of the contests as he told Sky News that "by-elections are always challenging".
He said: "We won Hartlepool little more than a year ago, but by-elections aren't the acid test. The acid test is the general election. We have got probably two years and our focus should be relentlessly on delivering sustainably long-term because that is the stuff people remember.
"People don't remember, if we are honest, and I think a lot of the pollsters would say this, they don't remember by-elections come the general election."
Tories must 'get on the front foot'
Dominic Raab said the Tories now need to "get on the front foot and focus on the people's priorities".
The Deputy Prime Minister said it is "very simple and straightforward" and "that is the recipe for success".
"We should be relentlessly focused on that," he told Sky News.
'I think it is time to come together'
Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary, yesterday accused Jeremy Hunt of “duplicity” and “destabilising the party” after he launched an attack on Boris Johnson just hours before the confidence vote on the PM's leadership (you can read the full story here).
Dominic Raab was asked how Mr Johnson intends to stop such infighting in the wake of last night's divisive vote.
He told Sky News: "We will need all of the energies of all of our MPs if we are to deliver for the people on the priorities I have described and frankly if we are going to take the game to Labour which is in a total mess and we are letting off the hook if we are talking to each other. I think it is time to come together."
Dominic Raab dismisses criticism from Lord Hague
Lord Hague, the former Tory leader, has said the "damage done" to Boris Johnson's premiership is "severe" and he should leave No 10 (see the post below at 07.15).
Dominic Raab was asked about the comments during an interview on Sky News and he dismissed the claims, telling the broadcaster: "William is free to commentate. I am frankly focused on action and what we do next."
'We have got two years to deliver'
Dominic Raab has urged Tory MPs to unite and take the fight to Labour as he said Boris Johnson now has "renewed energy" to deliver on his promise.
The Justice Secretary told Sky News: "We have got two years to deliver and demonstrate we are delivering and I think we are the ones with a plan.
"I think this Prime Minister is full of vision, determination and if anything renewed energy to get off the Westminster insider track onto the outward facing agenda of delivering for the people and I believe that we have got the plan, the energy and the team which Labour can't match, they can't rival.
"I don't think they are doing anything other than carping from the sidelines and that is where all the energies of all our MPs and the whole Government should be."
Debate over PM's leadership is 'over now'
Dominic Raab was told that if 32 Tory MPs had voted the other way last night then Boris Johnson would have been ousted from No 10.
He told Sky News: "But they didn't. I come onto this show, you ask very fair questions and I always want to answer them as best I can, but to be honest with you, my whole point would be all of that speculation, all of that hypothetical debate, that is over now. We had that vote, the Prime Minister won with 59 per cent and we move forward."
Dominic Raab tells Tory rebels to 'respect' the result
Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister, has told Tory rebels to "respect" the result of last night's confidence vote and allow the Government to "move forward".
Asked why he believed 41 per cent of Tory MPs voted against Boris Johnson, Mr Raab told Sky News: "The Prime Minister won it with 59 per cent, that is actually more than he got in terms of support when he was elected leader of the Conservative P{arty.
"But we have had that vote now, I think it was the prerogative of those calling for it to have it, the Prime Minister won it clearly, he won it by 63 votes... and now the most important thing I think is to respect that result and to move forward."
Lib Dems urge Tory rebels to resign the party whip
Sir Ed Davey said the 148 Conservative MPs who voted to oust Boris Johnson should now resign their party whip and stand as independents.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the leader of the Liberal Democrats said of Boris Johnson: “He didn’t win for the British people.
“I think the 148 Tory rebels should resign the Conservative whip, sit as independents, and work with opposition parties like the Liberal Democrats to hold this discredited Prime Minister to account.
“There are millions of people, millions of families and pensioners, who are suffering with the cost-of-living crisis, we’ve got the NHS and care crisis, and we also now have the travel and holiday chaos.
“This Government is incompetent, this Prime Minister is not showing the interests of the British people.”
Lord Hague: PM should quit
Lord Hague, the former leader of the Conservative Party, said Boris Johnson last night experienced a “greater level of rejection” than any of his predecessors and he should quit the premiership.
"While Johnson has survived the night, the damage done to his premiership is severe,” Lord Hague wrote in The Times.
“Words have been said that cannot be retracted, reports published that cannot be erased, and votes have been cast that show a greater level of rejection than any Tory leader has ever endured and survived.
“Deep inside, he should recognise that, and turn his mind to getting out in a way that spares party and country such agonies and uncertainties.”
Tory MP urges PM to 'leave with honour'
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to today's politics live blog.
After the drama of last night's confidence vote it promises to be a very busy day in Westminster as Boris Johnson tries to stabilise his premiership while Tory rebels plot their next move.
I will bring you all of the key developments.
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