'Election winner' Boris Johnson must be backed says Staffordshire MP
The Prime Minister remains an election winner and needs to be backed by his party, a Tory Staffordshire MP has said.
Michael Fabricant said a meeting Boris Johnson held with Conservative MPs was "very upbeat" despite being held just hours after Sue Gray published an update on her partygate investigation where she found “failures of leadership and judgment”.
Lichfield MP Mr Fabricant was among the Tories who met Mr Johnson on Monday evening and said the Prime Minister was "very contrite".
He said: "I am backing Boris, the meeting yesterday was very upbeat.
"Boris was very contrite and so he should be.
"The room warmed to him and, ignoring "cakegate", he has already achieved a huge amount.
"Not only did we get out of the EU but we got a free trade agreement.
"We have the fastest growing economy in the G7 and, of course, the vaccination programme was rolled out three months ahead of the EU.
"One of the reasons Labour and the SNP are so keen to get rid of Boris is that they know he is an election winner and I know that too."
Mr Johnson moved to assure MPs he is taking the issue seriously, underling how he had nearly died from coronavirus following the release of Sue Gray's report.
He also pledged to publish the full Gray report and overhaul No 10 to tackle the drinking culture.
The Prime Minister faced angry backbenchers on Monday as he acknowledged his culpability to the Commons, with former Tory Minister and Solihull MP Andrew Mitchell telling the House he no longer supports the PM.
Mr Johnson also pledged to introduce new policy to tackle the drinking culture in No 10, although a blanket ban on drinking is unlikely given its function as a venue for receptions for visiting dignitaries and charity events.
Suzanne Webb, the Conservative MP for Stourbridge, welcomed these commitments.
She said: "I am pleased the Prime Minister understands the operation at both Downing Street and the Cabinet Office need to be overhauled in light of Sue Gray’s update.
"I understand the anger about what has happened but I spent the weekend talking to my constituents on the doorstep and they want the Government to get on with levelling up, creating good quality jobs and aiding the recovery from the pandemic.
"Those are the issues that concern them the most.
"My view is that too much parliamentary time has been taken up with this already.
"There is a police investigation that needs to be completed. Until then, we should be focusing on important matters like stopping Russian aggression in the Ukraine."
Pat McFadden, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton South, lamented the dragging on of the ordeal and the lack of openness shown by the PM.
The shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury said: "He has issued several denials and defences which have collapsed one by one.
"Even while apologising in Parliament this week he sought a solution based on changing No 10 staff rather than changing himself.
"His conduct and the culture he fostered in number 10 has distracted the Government from focussing on the cost of living crisis.
"Families are facing a triple whammy of energy price rises, Tory tax rises and declining real wages.
"They need a Government that will help them through this rather than one that's thinking only about the political survival of the Prime Minister."
John Spellar, Labour MP for Warley, described Boris' apology as "half-hearted".
He said: "He misread the tone of Parliament.
"Clearly many backbenchers are deeply unhappy, and so they should be, and for many others he is on probation.
"They should grasp the nettle and get on with running the country and not with the psycho-drama of Number 10."
