Anti-PM plotters sharpen knives

BORIS Johnson’s Tory critics last night hinted they may use Partygate to execute a coup.

Tom Tugendhat, the only senior Tory to confirm a leadership bid, said he was ‘talking to colleagues’ about the PM’s future. Former Tory chief whip Mark Harper plunged the knife in, saying it was ‘not just the events, it’s the fact he’s not been straightforward about it’.

Tory veteran Sir Roger Gale added: ‘He misled us from the dispatch box. And, honourably, there is one answer.’

One leading rebel said: ‘A lot of the 2019 intake are getting very unhappy... they are beginning to see that they will not hold their seats if Boris stays. The question is, have they got the guts to do something about it?’