Northern Ireland Minister Conor Burns has insisted Boris Johnson will not resign over Partygate, saying he has “unfinished business” at No10.
Mr Burns said the Prime Minister was determined to rebuild public confidence.
But a senior Tory MP said it was “a matter of when, not if” the Prime Minister faces a no-confidence vote from his own MPs.
Mr Johnson is also facing a Commons inquiry into whether he intentionally misled MPs by telling them the Covid Laws in No 10 were being followed.
No. 10 had attempted to delay the vote to open the inquiry but backed out at the last minute, meaning the motion passed unanimously.
Last week, Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were fined by police for breaking lockdown rules by attending a gathering to celebrate his birthday.
Police have confirmed they have imposed at least 50 fines so far.
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Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Defense Committee leader Tobias Ellwood said Conservative MPs were “deeply concerned” and warned that the ongoing row over blocking parties would “damage the party’s brand in the long term”.
He accused No 10 of a lack of “discipline, focus and leadership” and predicted the Prime Minister was facing a vote of no confidence that could force him out of office.
The Bournemouth East MP also dismissed suggestions that Mr Johnson should remain in office to deal with the Ukraine crisis and accused the Prime Minister’s allies of using the war as a ‘fig leaf’.
BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake said that one MP, a critic of the Prime Minister, said the U-turn and the consequences of the government were “predictable”, while a Boris Johnson loyalist admitted that the Partygate saga left him and his have “polarized” colleagues.
A critical MP pointed to Conservative Steve Baker’s contribution to Thursday’s Commons debate, as Mr Baker withdrew his support for Mr Johnson.
Mr Baker and another critic, former chief whip Mark Harper, are influential voices in the party and the MP pointed out that they are notorious organizers, although there is no indication that an immediate move to remove the prime minister will be taken .
During a debate in the House of Commons, Mr Baker said he was “deeply moved” when the Prime Minister apologized to MPs for breaking the rules.
However, he said the regret lasted “only as long as it took to get out of the headmaster’s study” and that the prime minister should realize “the gig is over”.
Earlier in the week, Mr Harper said the Prime Minister was “not worthy of the office” and should resign.
Mr Burns dismissed criticism from Conservative MPs who said some of his colleagues had never backed the Prime Minister.
“If the Prime Minister got off Westminster Bridge and walked down the Thames on water, they would say it’s because he can’t swim,” he said.
He said Mr Johnson still had “work to do”, citing the cost of living crisis and ongoing complications with Brexit deals in Northern Ireland.
Mr Johnson is currently on his final day of an official trip to India where he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two men agreed they wanted to secure a free trade deal between the two countries, with Mr Johnson saying that should be finalized by October.
After a debate in the House of Commons, MPs have asked the Privileges Committee to investigate whether Mr Johnson has deliberately misled Parliament.
If the committee finds that Mr Johnson has misled Parliament, it may recommend a sanction that could include suspension or outright expulsion from Parliament. You might also recommend that he apologize to the house.
MPs will then decide whether or not to approve the report and implement the recommended sanctions.
The Privileges Committee consists of seven MPs – two Labor MPs (Yvonne Fovargue and Chris Bryant), one SNP (Allan Dorans) and four Conservatives (Andy Carter, Alberto Costa, Laura Farris and Sir Bernard Jenkin).
However, the committee chairman, Mr Bryant, has withdrawn from the inquiry as he had previously spoken publicly on the matter.
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