Tory tribes at war Wounded Johnson is fighting on six fronts

Boris Johnson may have won Monday evening’s confidence vote, averting the immediate threat of a Conservative leadership race. But there was a far larger rebellion than expected, with 148 MPS refusing to support their leader. Unlike previous rebellions, Monday’s vote is not thought to be an organised campaign with a sophisticated “shadow whipping” operation. Rather, Mr Johnson is facing down several separate camps of MPS with grievances against him.

THE TRADITIONALISTS David Davis, Steve Baker, Andrew Bridgen

A hardcore group on the Tory right cannot accept Mr Johnson’s tax rises – especially his decision to increase National Insurance contributions.

They voted for Johnson to get Brexit done but are disappointed with his domestic agenda and suspicious of “levelling up”, they think it will involve increasing spending. After the pandemic, and more restrictive lockdowns than they supported, they think it is time to liberalise the economy and take advantage of freedoms offered by Brexit.

THE ONE NATIONERS Jeremy Hunt, Theresa May, Tom Tugendhat, Andrew Mitchell, Damian Green

A band of MPS who have been largely shut out by Mr Johnson’s administration and feel aggrieved about inward-looking policies, such as the cuts to the international aid budget. Many of them were Remainers in 2016, voted for Jeremy Hunt in the 2019 leadership contest, and harbour suspicions about the Government’s foreign policy, and its pivot to campaign on “woke” issues. David Canzini, Mr Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, is thought to be looking to scrap “nanny state” policies, which is likely to upset them.

THE 2019ERS Dehenna Davison, Alicia Kearns, Aaron Bell, Anthony Mangnall

Elected in 2019 on a wave of support for Mr Johnson, many of this group are nervously eyeing their majorities and the polls. Some want to ditch the Prime Minister, believing he is now an electoral hindrance. Moreover, the group is concerned that promises to “level up” their constituencies have not been met, especially as Brexit slips down the priority list of their voters.

THE OVERLOOKED

Jesse Norman, Mark

Harper, Steve Brine

Some former ministers and disgruntled backbenchers feel that the current Downing Street team has done little for their careers, and are keen to join a cause. Perhaps they think helping to oust the PM would endear them to his successor?

THE MORALLY OUTRAGED

John Penrose, Sir Bob Neill, John Lamont, Nick Gibb,

Fed up with the anger of constituents over partygate, another group of MPS have argued that Mr Johnson should leave No10 because he has dragged the party and Government through the mud by misleading Parliament. The Whitsun recess cemented this feeling for MPS who saw even more of their furious constituents than usual. With recent changes to the ministerial code and Mr Johnson’s lukewarm apology ringing in their ears, these MPS feel that enough is enough.

THE SCOTS

Douglas Ross, Andrew Bowie, David Mundell, John Lamont The Scottish Tories have turned against Mr Johnson. Four out of the six MPS feel that the party’s weak performance north of the border has been worsened by his leadership, and in an attempt to drive a wedge between Scottish and English Conservatives, they have called for him to go. Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland, is said to be critical of some of Mr Johnson’s most recent policy moves, including tax rises, but still supports him.

Can he do enough to win back Scottish support before the next election?