Tory MPs rejected an appeal from Sir John Major last night for: Boris Johnson To leave Downing Street straight away.
In an extraordinary intervention, the former prime minister said it would be “unwise and perhaps untenable” for Mr Johnson to remain in office while a new Tory leader is elected.
It came as Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer promised to table a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons with the Prime Minister unless he hands over the keys to No. 10 to an interim leader.
Johnson yesterday fought to remain in Downing Street until October and began rebuilding his cabinet as the battle to replace him started.
Constitutional experts are sure he has the right to remain in No. 10 until there is a new party leader who can form a government.
Sir Keir Starmer, pictured with his wife, Lady Victoria, who attended Wimbledon yesterday, plans to enforce a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Boris Johnson next week.
Boris Johnson, pictured, said he plans to remain prime minister until the party announces a new leader in the fall
Former Tory Prime Minister John Major, pictured, said Johnson should leave Downing Street immediately
Sir Keir Starmer took a break from the drama that unfolded in Westminster yesterday and left for Wimbledon
But Sir John warned that the new cabinet would not be able to ‘restrain’ him. In a 1922 letter to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory backbench committee, he suggested that Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab could be installed as acting Prime Minister until the next leader is elected. Sir John also said there could alternatively be a shorter leadership contest, with MPs choosing the leader and grassroots Tory members to endorse the result.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir, who went to Wimbledon yesterday and sat in the royal box with his wife Victoria, called for a general election and threatened to try to oust Mr Johnson if he refuses to hand it over to a janitor.
He said: “If they don’t get rid of him, Labor will stand up in the national interest and pass a vote of no confidence because we can’t go on with this Prime Minister clinging on for months and months. †
Tory MPs turned against Sir John, calling his proposal “not very democratic” and “wrong”. Michael Fabricant told BBC News: ‘It’s quite interesting, isn’t it, that John Major has come up with a proposal that maybe the rules should be changed and it should be the MPs who choose the successor. I’m not sure I’d join as it’s not very democratic not to include the Conservative Party as a whole.”
Mark Pritchard, former chairman of the 1922 commission, said he disagreed with Sir John.
He told Sky News: “I think he’s wrong. There is a precedent. David Cameron continued as Prime Minister during the transition, albeit for just a few weeks – Theresa May for six, seven weeks.
The Labor leader was spotted enjoying the chic seats in Center Court’s Royal Box alongside his wife Victoria on the day of the women’s semi-final
Sir Keir’s journey from SW1A to SW19 came shortly after he revealed a plot to immediately remove Boris Johnson from power
The Labor leader and his wife watched Tunisia Ons Jabeur reach the women’s final after beating Germany’s Tatyana Maria
Sir Keir shared a joke with TV presenter and Liberal Democrat colleague Floella Benjamin
“I think it’s good that the Prime Minister continues. He has set a timetable; he said he’s going. I think people should leave him alone and let him run the country for the next few months.”
Veteran Tory MP David Davis warned against replacing Johnson too soon.
“My concern is to choose the most direct way to make this change and every way we choose has problems. But waiting until you have a new leader is the least of the problems,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today.
Before stepping down, Johnson had his cabinet reshuffled following the resignation avalanche.
Greg Clark was appointed secretary of Leveling Up. James Cleverly became Minister of Education and Kit Malthouse was appointed the new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Will Quince also made a surprise return as Secretary of Education, despite his resignation on Wednesday. Johnny Mercer got his old role of Secretary of Veterans, which he resigned last year.
The prime minister, who has seen large sections of Tory MPs turn against him in the past 48 hours, announced his intention to leave Downing Street this afternoon.
But Johnson also revealed how he plans to remain in office until a new Tory leader is elected, which could take several weeks, if not months.
Many Conservatives oppose the Prime Minister’s plan – they want him to leave as soon as possible – and Sir Keir had previously tried to fuel the Tory civil war further
He vowed to table a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson and the government in the House of Commons, if the prime minister is not removed immediately.