Downing Street lockdown party: Boris to 'begin fightback' at PMQs

The House of Commons chamber this lunchtime told its own story.

When a Prime Minister is in trouble, it is usual for the government benches to be full of MPs showing their support. Today there were barely a dozen of them.

The minister answering Labour's urgent question did his best. There's an investigation under way, he said. Wait for the outcome.

But opposition MPs bombarded him with moving, sometimes tragic stories of constituents, and family members, who'd stuck to the rules.

One MP told how he wasn't allowed to be with his dying mother, and stayed in his car outside the hospital so he could be as close to her as possible when she died. Another MP broke down in tears as he described the loss of his mother-in-law.

Boris Johnson's position as Prime Minister is now in real danger. Opposition MPs are openly accusing him of being dishonest. Very few Tory MPs have been prepared to defend him in public today.

Sir Christopher Chope, Conservative MP for Christchurch

In private, many are scathing. He has never had a large personal following among his own MPs. Some have always been hostile. Others have supported him because they thought he was a winner.

Mr Johnson has always had a knack of getting out of difficult situations. This is his biggest crisis so far.

He has to start his fightback at Prime Minister's Questions tomorrow. If he can.