Suffolk MP Peter Aldous calls for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign

Suffolk MP Peter Aldous has called for the Prime Minister to resign after saying he has 'no confidence' in him as leader of the Conservatives.

In a Twitter post, the Member of Parliament for Waveney said he had done a 'great deal of soul-searching' but it was 'clear' Boris Johnson would not step down.

In the post he said: "I have therefore written to the Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Backbench Conservative MPs, advising him that I have no confidence in the Prime Minister as Leader of the Conservative Party.

"I have never taken such action before and had hoped that I would not be put in such an invidious position.

"Whilst I am conscious that others will disagree with me, I believe that this is in the best interests of the country, the Government and the Conservative Party."

Mr Johnson faced an excoriating speech from Keir Starmer in the House of Commons yesterday in which the Labour leader said the Prime Minister was a 'man without shame, damaging everyone and everything around him'.

It came after initial findings from Sue Gray's report into No10 Downing Street parties found 'failures of leadership and judgement' and excessive drinking at work against the backdrop of the pandemic.

Tom Hunt, MP for Ipswich, has weighed in on the discussion as well.

"It's very clear to me that none of this is acceptable, excusable, or defensible," he said in a statement earlier today.

"I'm not a sycophant. If some of my colleagues want to behave like this then that's up to them, but it's not me, nor will it ever be me."

But, he added: "At a time when there is a real risk of war in Europe and we face a cost-of-living crisis I am really not convinced that the Conservative Party plunging into a leadership contest for the next few months is in the best interests of my constituents and the country at large.

"Nor, barring any further significant developments do I believe that seeking to depose the Prime Minister, at this particular moment in time, is the proportionate thing to do."

James Cartlidge, MP for South Suffolk, said he understood why constituents were so 'frustrated' with the party revelations, especially those who lost loved ones during the pandemic and could not be with them due to social restrictions.

However, he added: "I also underlined that any Government has to have a formal process of addressing such allegations, and that is why I said we should await the publication of the Sue Gray Report.

"As it is, the report has only been published on an interim basis, pending enquiries by the Metropolitan Police.

"It would not be appropriate for me to comment on a live police investigation and, as such, we will have to continue to wait for Sue Gray’s fuller findings to be published.

"Clearly, the situation is far from ideal, not least as it distracts the Government from important tasks.

"That said, we are getting on with the job: publishing the Levelling Up White Paper, with good news for Suffolk, and looking at what can be done to ease the cost of living."

The other MPs in Suffolk were approached for comment.