Conservative MPs moving against Boris Johnson are 'like a jilted lover', says MP

All can seem fine for a political leader and then, in a flash, they are floored.

Margaret Thatcher was cheered to the rafters at the 1990 Conservative Party conference.

Six weeks later, she was out.

On Monday, supporters of Boris Johnson had a spring in their step as hostile fire seemed to abate.

And then on Tuesday, a squall blew into Westminster as some Conservative MPs from the 2019 intake started to move against the prime minister.

One senior MP told me the balloon is about to go up, and the threshold for a confidence vote in Mr Johnson would soon be met.

This source said that 54 letters would be sent to the chairman of the 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady by Wednesday, Thursday or Monday.

That MP told me that as many as 20 of the 2019 intake are prepared to send in letters. Sir Graham is already said to have 30 letters from others.

I am told that a meeting on Monday night of the One Nation Group of MP - "posh lefties", according to one MP - was overwhelmingly negative.

The meeting was reportedly attended by the former health secretary Matt Hancock, who did not intervene. It is estimated that around 15 letters may have been - or will be - sent after that meeting.

Other Tories are not so sure. They believe the threshold for a confidence vote will not be met at least until after the publication of the inquiry into Downing Street parties by the Whitehall troubleshooter Sue Gray.

But the big change is the loss of faith in the prime minister among the 107-strong 2019 intake, the largest grouping in the Conservative parliamentary party.

They contain a strong contingent from the co-called "Red Wall" of former Labour constituencies.

One MP said of the 2019ers: "They are so angry. They invested so much faith in Boris Johnson. They are like a jilted lover."

One cabinet minister blamed Covid for the behaviour of the new intake.

This minister said that Covid restrictions, which have kept many MPs away from Westminster for large chunks of the last two years, means they have not been properly "socialised".

The minister added: "They don't seem to understand that politics is really, really hard at times".

Conservative MPs who do want to send letters are establishing an informal courier system, because they say the whips are "lingering" by the loos close to Sir Graham's office.

They are asking known critics of the prime minister to hand in their letters on their behalf, after deciding that emailing letters also carries risks.

Supporters of Boris Johnson are adamant he will survive.

One minister told me: "I don't believe we will get to 54. It is a big number. You would need to see more people coming out publicly.

"People need to calm down. We would look like a bunch of numpties on the world stage if we got rid of the PM over a drinks party."