Give PM time and space to deliver, says Kwasi Kwarteng

The business secretary has appealed to his party to give Boris Johnson the "time and space to deliver" on the government's promises as pressure continues to mount on his leadership.

The PM had another difficult week, with a critical report into No 10 lockdown parties and five senior aides quitting.

More Tory MPs also declared publicly they had no confidence in him.

But Kwasi Kwarteng said the PM was carrying out his commitment for a reset in No 10 and focused on policies.

And he told the BBC's Sunday Morning programme the "ongoing focus on 'partygate' is not helping anyone".

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith also told the programme he believed Mr Johnson should stay in his role as "the prime minister is the one that has to sort this out", adding he "bears the overall responsibility".

And he warned other MPs who could be vying for a leadership bid to "temper their ambition".

But Sir Iain said the government "must do more" to tackle the cost of living crisis and "restore the sense [in the public] there is a government they can trust and respect".