Tory MP Peter Aldous calls on Boris Johnson to resign

Tory MP Peter Aldous has called on the prime minister to resign.

The MP for Waveney in Suffolk said he had submitted a letter to his party's committee of backbench MPs, saying he had no confidence in Boris Johnson.

If the 1922 Committee panel received 54 letters of no confidence from Conservative MPs, it could trigger a leadership contest, but many have publically backed the PM.

Mr Aldous said he had made the decision "after a great deal of soul-searching".

In a series of tweets, Mr Aldous said it was clear Mr Johnson had "no intention" of resigning voluntarily.

"Whilst I am conscious that others will disagree with me, I believe that this is in the best interests of the country, the government and the Conservative Party," he wrote.

Mr Aldous' actions have come following the publication of Sue Gray's interim report into parties at Downing Street during the national lockdowns.

In her inquiry, she said there were "failures of leadership and judgement" by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office.

Ms Gray also highlighted that some behaviour at the gatherings was "difficult to justify" given the public was being asked to "accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives".

Mr Aldous has served as the constituency's MP since 2010, since winning the seat from Labour.

While Mr Johnson has made no indication that he was thinking about standing down, there has been mixed reaction from Conservative MPs, with cabinet members such as Nadine Dorries backing him, but others such as former PM Theresa May critical, and ex-cabinet member Andrew Mitchell saying he had lost confidence in him.

Mr Johnson said he was "very, very sorry for misjudgements that may have been made by me or anybody else in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office" over gatherings during Covid restrictions.