“Douglas Ross has always been quite a lightweight figure” Jacob Rees-Mogg MP says the Secretary of State for Scotland “is a much more substantial and important figure in this” Newsnight
He said he would write to the 1922 Committee - which organises Tory leadership contests - to register his lack of confidence in the PM.
"I don't think it should be left to the findings of a civil servant to determine the future of the prime minister and indeed who governs this country," he told BBC Radio 4's PM programme. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the PM's explanation for his attendance was "so ridiculous that it's actually offensive to the British public" and he called on Mr Johnson "to do the decent thing and resign".
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Chancellor Rishi Sunak - both tipped as potential successors to Mr Johnson as leader - tweeted their support on Wednesday evening. It came as a poll for The Times by YouGov, which was carried out before Mr Johnson's apology at Prime Minister's Questions, put Labour at a 10-point lead ahead of the Tories - the party's biggest lead since December 2013.The government is facing mounting pressure over several events that are alleged to have been held during lockdowns in 2020.
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