What happened behind closed doors at Downing Street to force Boris Johnson to resign?

As the fallout of Boris Johnson's resignation rocks Westminster, ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana has the latest.

One former minister - who resigned from their role yesterday - just messaged saying that it was unacceptable for Boris Johnson to stay as a caretaker PM.

“They’ve drifted into an alternate reality,” they said about that and yesterday’s response from the PM.

After a day of unprecedented resignations, MPs could simply not believe the Number 10 suggestion that Mr Johnson was going nowhere. Not only did they say he wouldn’t quit, they argued that if he did - it would mean chaos instead of a summer focused on economic reform.

The PM even told Cabinet colleagues that what could follow would be an early election and a Labour-SNP coalition that would “break up Britain”.

According to Number 10, Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee, did not come to tell the PM that his political was over yesterday - and instead that the rule changes for the 1922 to allow another confidence vote would happen on Monday (and not yesterday as had been suggested).

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The PM was urged by even his own Cabinet members to go. Credit: PA

My understanding of that conversation is that it had a slightly different emphasis - that Sir Graham's message was that the vote to change the rules was being brought forward and that Mr Johnson would lose a confidence vote on Tuesday and should go with dignity.

Now the question is whether it's acceptable for the party for him to remain as a caretaker. Clearly not for some former ministers messaging me. The MP Andrew Bridgen just told me the PM and his team were "toxic" and had to go.

But some critics - like Steve Baker - who is deciding whether to run himself - said he could accept it if the government remained stable.

The focus of today will be whether MPs more generally are going to take that - and if enough will return to ministerial roles. 

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