Ex-minister joins move against PM and calls response to Gray report ‘grotesque’

In a further illustration of Tory discontent with the party’s leadership, former minister Jesse Norman has shared a damning letter expressing his discontent with the Prime Minister.

The former financial secretary to the Treasury became the latest Tory MP to join calls for a confidence vote in Boris Johnson on Monday morning, describing the Prime Minister’s response to the Sue Gray report as “grotesque” in the letter shared on social media.

Mr Norman had been a long-term supporter of Mr Johnson and previously described him as a “huge talent and an old friend”.

But the MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire cited the “culture of casual law-breaking at 10 Downing Street”, “deeply questionable” policies including the “ugly” Rwanda plan and “breach of the Northern Irish Protocol” as reasons for withdrawing his support.

He also criticised the privatisation of Channel 4 as “an unnecessary and provocative attempt to address a political non-issue during a time of crisis” and accused Mr Johnson’s Government of lacking “a sense of mission”.

Mr Norman, who also worked as energy minister in 2016 and 2017, described the Government’s energy policies as “empty rhetoric” and plans to build a nuclear power station in a year as impractical.

He told the Prime Minister in his letter: “Recent events have served to clarify the position this country is in under your leadership, beyond any doubt, and I am afraid I can see no circumstances in which I could serve in a Government led by you.”

The letter concludes by saying: “For you to prolong this charade by remaining in office not only insults the electorate and the tens of thousands of people who support, volunteer, represent and campaign for our party; it makes a decisive change of government at the next election much more likely.

“That is potentially catastrophic for this country.

“For these reasons, and with great sadness, I am withdrawing my support for you as leader, and I have notified this to the Chairman of the 1922 Committee.”

Chairman of the committee Sir Graham Brady confirmed on Monday morning that he had received the 54 letters from Conservative MPs needed to trigger the ballot.

In the months before Mr Johnson became Prime Minister, Mr Norman described him as an “old friend” who had “the capacity to re-energise the government”.

Writing on Twitter in June 2019, he said: “Both the leadership candidates are exceptional, but I am supporting Boris Johnson.

“I worked on his London Mayoral campaign in 2008, supported his re-election in 2012 and worked on his Conservative leadership bid in 2016.

“He is a person of huge talent, and an old friend.”

He added: “He has the capacity to re-energise the government, resolve the deadlock over Brexit, and above all keep this country away from the very dangerous policies of the Labour party.”

The confidence vote – by secret ballot – will take place at Westminster on Monday between 6pm and 8pm, with the count to take place immediately afterwards.