Boris Johnson latest news: Ex-minister Gibb submits no-confidence letter as PM struggles to stave off coup

Boris Johnson may be facing his own crisis of leadership, but this weekend he will attempt to turn the attention of the nation to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which is being celebrated across the country.

The prime minister is expected to make a public statement marking the monarch’s 70 years on the throne, praising her “tireless service” and “historic reign”.

Elizabeth II came to the throne 70 years ago this Sunday when, on 6 February 1952, the ailing King George VI – who had lung cancer – died at Sandringham in the early hours.

A Number 10 source said: “You can expect the Prime Minister to praise Her Majesty’s tireless service and historic reign to mark the occasion.”

Earlier this week, Mr Johnson told MPs: “While it is a moment for national celebration it will be a day of mixed emotions for Her Majesty as the day also marks 70 years since the death of her beloved father, George VI.

“I know that the whole House will want to join me in thanking Her Majesty for her tireless service.

“We look forward to celebrating her historic reign with a series of national events in June.”

Elsewhere, the Archbishop of Canterbury praised the Queen for “doing the right thing” by sitting alone at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.

Justin Welby also commended her for showing “duty, leadership and character”.

In an interview with the BBC, he said: “The clearest moment for me, the absolute summit of that, was that at the funeral of her husband of 70-something years, she sat alone.

“That was leadership, it was doing the right thing, it was duty, it set an example.”

The remarks are likely to draw further comparisons to how Covid rules were observed in Downing Street amid the public backlash over “Partygate”. It has been reported that Number 10 offered the palace an exemption to the Covid restrictions for Prince Philip’s funeral, but that the Queen refused.

Now aged 95, the Queen has seen 14 prime ministers come and go from her first, the Second World War leader Sir Winston Churchill, to the present premiere Mr Johnson.

When ex-minister Nick Gibb called on Boris Johnson to resign yesterday, he praised fellow Conservative MP Aaron Bell for standing up to the PM.

In an emotional question in the Commons on Monday following the publication of the Sue Gray report into lockdown parties, Mr Bell asked Mr Johnson if he thought he was a “fool” for following Covid restrictions at his grandmother’s funeral.

In his intervention, Mr Gibb said Mr Bell had been “brave” and “struck a chord”.

He wrote: “He expressed the anger and frustration of millions at rule-breaking by those most responsible for making the rules.

“He was not a fool for sticking by those rules. But, whether inadvertently or not, behaviour by people at the heart of government suggests that they think he was – or worse still, that the rules don’t apply to them.”

He said his constituents were “furious about the double standards”.

ITV’s Paul Brand, who broke the birthday party story last month, suggests a photo of Boris Johnson with a beer in hand could damage the defence that he was only involved in a “quick gathering”.

Last month, No 10 said staff had “gathered briefly” in the Cabinet Room following a meeting, and the PM was there “for less than 10 minutes.”

Police have reportedly been handed a photo of Boris Johnson holding a beer at his lockdown birthday party.

The PM was pictured raising a can of Estrella towards the camera at the June 2020 event in the No 10 Cabinet Room, according to The Daily Mirror.

He is said to be standing next to Rishi Sunak in the image taken by an official Downing Street photographer.

You can read the full story below.

A Treasury minister has said the Partygate fallout has been “deeply uncomfortable, disappointing, and embarrassing”.

Salisbury MP John Glen did not call for the Prime Minister to resign but said: “The culture in Number 10 fell short of what the country had a right to expect, and responsibility must be taken for the mistakes that were made.”

Writing in his local newspaper The Salisbury Journal, he said: “I certainly do not subscribe to the views of some colleagues who have been in the media saying that their correspondence is drying up and their constituents are moving on.”

Mr Glen added: “This continuing situation is deeply uncomfortable, disappointing, and embarrassing, but I will do the job I was elected to do and continue to share and amplify the views of my constituents publicly and with colleagues at the highest level I can.”

Here’s our full story on MP Nick Gibb’s call for Boris Johnson to resign.

His public announcement that he has submitted a letter of no-confidence piles further pressure on the prime minister as he seeks to stave off a backbench rebellion.

It’s been another bruising day for Boris Johnson.

54 MPs’ letters are needed to trigger one.

A majority of Tory MPs (around 180) must then vote against the PM before a leadership contest can take place to find a replacement.

Nick Gibb has launched a blistering attack on Boris Johnson, criticising the Prime Minister for “flagrantly disregarding” the rules he set.

He wrote in The Telegraph: “My constituents are furious about the double standards – imposing harsh and, to my mind, necessary restrictions as we and the world sought to defend ourself against this new and deadly virus, while at the same time flagrantly disregarding those rules within the fortress of Downing Street.”

Another Conservative MP has called for Boris Johnson to resign.

Writing in The Telegraph, Nick Gibb, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, said his constituents were “furious about the double standards” and he said the Prime Minister had been “inaccurate” in statements to the Commons.

Mr Gibb said: “The Prime Minister accepted the resignation of Allegra Stratton for joking about a Christmas party that she hadn’t attended, but he won’t take responsibility for those that he did attend. I am sorry to say that it is hard to see how it can be the case that the Prime Minister told the truth.”

He said there was still support for the Prime Minister in his constituency, but that voters were also questioning whether they could trust Mr Johnson.

The MP said: “To restore trust, we need to change the Prime Minister.”

Mr Gibb’s intervention brings the total number of MPs who have publicly called for Mr Johnson to go to 15, but privately the number is likely to be higher.

Another Conservative MP has called for Boris Johnson to resign.

Writing in The Telegraph, Nick Gibb, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, said his constituents were “furious about the double standards” and he said the Prime Minister had been “inaccurate” in statements to the Commons.

Mr Gibb said: “The Prime Minister accepted the resignation of Allegra Stratton for joking about a Christmas party that she hadn’t attended, but he won’t take responsibility for those that he did attend. I am sorry to say that it is hard to see how it can be the case that the Prime Minister told the truth.”

He said there was still support for the Prime Minister in his constituency, but that voters were also questioning whether they could trust Mr Johnson.

The MP said: “To restore trust, we need to change the Prime Minister.”

Mr Gibb’s…