PM ‘like Monty Python’s black knight’

Boris Johnson was compared to Monty Python’s black knight and branded a “lame duck” in the Commons following a confidence vote in his leadership where 148 Conservative MPs rebelled against him.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford likened the prime minister’s reaction to surviving the confidence vote to the comedy troupe’s knight, who claimed his mortal injuries were just flesh wounds in the 1975 film Monty Python And The Holy Grail.

But Mr Johnson appeared to shout “not even a flesh wound” in response to the jibe.

The prime minister won a confidence vote in his leadership on Monday, despite a rebellion by 41% of his MPs.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson told MPs “absolutely nothing and no one” is “going to stop us with getting on delivering for the British people”.

Mr Blackford said: “Week after week I’ve called on this prime minister to resign. I’ve been met with a wall of noise from the Tory benches. I thought they were trying to shout me down... when all this time it turns out that 41% of them have been cheering me on.

“Let’s be clear, at least the numbers don’t lie. Forty-one per cent of his own MPs have no confidence in him. Sixty-six (%) of MPs across the House don’t support him and 97% of Scottish MPs want the minister for the union shown the door.

“We now have a lameduck prime minister presiding over a divided party in a disunited kingdom. How does the prime minister expect to continue when even unionist leaders in Scotland won’t back him?”

The prime minister thanked Mr Blackford for his “characteristic warm words”.