The prime minister’s anti-corruption tsar has resigned over Boris Johnson’s response to the Sue Gray report into partygate – and will vote for him to go tonight.
John Penrose has sent his resignation letter to the PM just hours after it was announced a confidence vote in Mr Johnson’s leadership will take place between 6pm and 8pm today.
The MP for Weston-super-Mare has been the UK’s anti-corruption champion at the Home Office since 2017 but said he could no longer be in his post as Mr Johnson had not addressed the “failures of leadership and judgment” Ms Gray said had taken place over lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street.
Mr Penrose confirmed to Sky News he will be voting against the PM this evening and said this is “the beginning of the end”.
He said: “I’m sorry to have to resign as the PM’s anti-corruption tsar but, after his reply last week about the ministerial code, it’s pretty clear he has broken it.
“That’s a resigning matter for me, and it should be for the PM too.”
