How many Conservatives in the Midlands have called for Boris Johnson to resign, and who are they?
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, faces a no-confidence vote in his leadership, it was announced this morning.
It comes as at least fifty-four Conservative MPs have submitted a letter of no-confidence in their leader to the party's 1922 Committee - breaching the threshold needed to trigger a vote.
But less than thirty have publicly gone on the record and called for him to quit, which means there'll be Tory parliamentarians who have submitted letters - who may vote to oust Boris Johnson when the vote is held later today - but are remaining silent.
Nine MPs from the Midlands have so far said - or strongly implied - that they think the Prime Minister should be considering his position.
Listed below are their names:
Mark Pawsey
Mr Pawsey, who is the MP for Rugby and Bulkington, has said the PM does not have his support - and confirmed he will be voting against him tonight.
"In this afternoon’s vote I will be unable to give my support to the Prime Minister," he said in a tweet.
"The country has reason to be grateful to Boris Johnson for getting Brexit done after a period of uncertainty and for securing a successful vaccine programme in the face of the pandemic."
"However, I waited for the Sue Gray report & was disappointed to read its contents. I have concluded that it is now time for a different kind of leadership and a new team."Jesse Norman
A junior minister and the MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, Mr Norman has been a staunch defender of the Prime Minister, but was the last member to come out against his leadership before the no-confidence vote was announced by 1922 Committee Chair Sir Graham Brady.
In a letter explaining his position, Mr Norman didn't just focus on fallout from the party gate scandal - which government has been trying to contain for weeks - but also cited the Rwanda deportation policy, and efforts to revise the Northern Ireland protocol, as factors behind his decision.
"Neither the Conservative party nor this country can afford to squander the next two years adrift and distracted by endless debate about you and your leadership," he told the PM.
Alicia Kearns
Ms Kearns has been the Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton since 2019, and sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
In January she was accused of being a member of the so-called 'Pork Pie Plot' of Tory MPs who met to discuss ousting the Prime Minister - something she denied.
After the publication of the Sue Grey report, she reiterated that Mr Johnson no longer enjoyed her support.
"The prime minister was complicit in the holding of many goodbye parties for his staff, which we now know displayed a complete disregard for restrictions and were complete with vomiting, fighting and bullying," she wrote.
"I can only conclude that the Prime Minister's account of events to Parliament was misleading."
"The prime minister continues not to hold my confidence," she concluded.
Jeremy Wright
The MP for Kenilworth and Southam called for the Prime Ministers resignation on Monday.
Mr Wright is a former Culture Secretary, and also served as Attorney General.
In his letter, Jeremy Wright wrote that the party gate scandal had "done real and lasting damage to the reputation not just of this government but to the institutions and authority of Government more generally."
The former attorney general concluded that "for the good of this and future governments, the Prime Minister must resign."
Andrew Bridgen
Andrew Bridgen had submitted a letter to the 1922 Committee which he later withdrew, citing the war in Ukraine.
However, the North West Leicestershire MP said he had resubmitted his letter late yesterday afternoon.
He emailed his constituents saying that "further revelations over the past week" had prompted his decision.
Mr Bridgen endorsed Boris Johnson during the 2019 leadership election, but told constituents that "I and colleagues have put in a letter of no confidence over the past few days and it may well be the numbers are close to triggering a vote of no confidence."
Aaron Bell
The MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme since 2019 told ITV News Central he had 'serious problems' with the PMs leadership back in February.
He later announced he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson.
In a tweet, Mr Bell said he was "profoundly disappointed" to have done so.
"The breach of trust that the events in No 10 Downing Street represent, and the manner in which they have been handled, makes his [Boris Johnson's] position untenable.
"I believe it is in the country's best interests that this matter is resolved as soon as possible."
Andrew Mitchell
Sutton Coldfield's MP has been in parliament for over twenty years, and briefly served as a government Chief Whip under David Cameron.
He was one of the earliest Tories to withdraw support for the PM, telling the House of Commons in January that Mr Johnson 'no longer enjoys my support' after Sue Gray published her initial findings.
Andrea Leadsom
Former Minister and twice leadership contender Andrea Leadsom has not explicitly said the Prime Minister should resign.
But in a letter published on Tuesday she said "the conclusion I have drawn from the Sue Gray report is that there have been unacceptable failings of leadership that cannot be tolerated and are the responsibility of the Prime Minister."
"Each of my Conservative MP colleagues and I must now decide individually on what is the right course of action that will restore confidence in our government."
As a former Environment Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons and Business Secretary under Johnson, she's one of the most high profile figures to express negative views on this government, something that will add to the pressure on Number 10.
Nigel Mills
The MP for Amber Valley in Derbyshire called for the Prime Minister to resign in April. During an interview, he gave his reasoning as "laws are laws, and if you break them there has to be a consequence".
He also said he intended to submit a letter of no confidence to 1922 Committee Chair Sir Graham Brady.