A hostile reaction in their constituencies coupled with bad results in the local elections is likely to spark recriminations
When news broke that Boris Johnson – along with his chancellor – had been handed a fixed-penalty notice for breaching Covid rules during lockdown, the prime minister’s defenders quickly organised themselves. Tory MPs lined up to publicly offer their support – suggesting that the war in Ukraine had shown there were bigger issues to focus on. That group even included some unlikely cheerleaders such as Roger Gale, a Tory backbencher who had previously called for Johnson to go over the issue.
But while more than 70 MPs at the last count have publicly backed Johnson, the concern in No 10 and the whips’ office relates to the 200 or so Tory MPs who are silent at present. While some are trying to make the most of the Easter recess – “colleagues want a break” – the majority are still coming to a decision. “Most MPs are waiting to see whether there are more fines and what the public reaction is,” says a member of the government. “No one thinks there will be 54 letters going in over the next few days.”
Katy Balls is the Spectator’s deputy political editor
