Dowden resigns, as the 1922 Committee treasurer hints at ‘difficult decisions’ for MPs

9 comments
  1. > Treasurer of the backbench 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, has suggested his colleagues have “difficult decisions” to make around the prime minister’s future . . .

    > In 1990, shortly after her own no confidence vote victory, the wider Cabinet turned against then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, when she was away at a foreign summit in Paris. With Mr Johnson now out of the country for 8 days, and in light of Mr Dowden’s resignation, the private discussions of Cabinet colleagues do pose an immediate moment of risk for Mr Johnson.

    Asked on R4 about possible Tory rule changes to get rid of the ignominious PM, Clifton-Brown said:

    > “What is going to happen in the next few days is that the prime minister is going to set out, to both his cabinet and to us as members of parliament, his response to the problems we face in this country”.

    > “We in the parliamentary party will then have to make a judgement as to whether we think that is a satisfactory explanation or whether we should actually take steps to have a new prime minister. But I am not going to speculate as to how that process will turn out”.

    > “I have got an AGM tonight, I will consider what my members say, I will then discuss this matter widely with my colleagues. We will hear what the prime minister says, and then we will have to make some difficult decisions, no doubt”.

    Clifton-Brown had [no confidence in Johnson](https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/cheltenham-news/gloucestershire-mp-reveals-whether-voted-7174856) earlier this month.

  2. They’ll only oust Johnson when they think their seats are under direct threat. It won’t be for the good of the country, it’ll be for the good of their finances.

  3. Their decisions will be based on the size of their majority and an estimate of the effectiveness of their local political opponents.

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