London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

MP blackmail claims: Downing Street not investigating accusations

MP blackmail claims: Downing Street not investigating accusations

Downing Street says it is not investigating allegations that MPs calling for the PM's resignation have been blackmailed by government whips.

Labour called for an inquiry after senior Tory MP William Wragg said threats that would "seem to constitute blackmail" had been made to colleagues.

No 10 said it had not seen any proof of such behaviour.

A spokesman said they would look "carefully" at any evidence presented to them but they were not seeking it.

Asked whether Boris Johnson would condemn any attempt to blackmail MPs, his deputy official spokesman said: "It's obviously the role of whips to encourage MPs."

Mr Wragg - who has called for Mr Johnson to resign - raised concerns about blackmail and intimidation on Thursday.

He said he had been told ministers, advisers and staff at No 10 were "encouraging the publication of stories in the press seeking to embarrass" MPs who were calling on Mr Johnson to resign.

Separately, a group of MPs met on Thursday to discuss going public with their own complaints of intimidation by the whips - the MPs in charge of party discipline.

Known as the "pork pie plotters", the group has been meeting regularly to discuss whether to oust Mr Johnson, over revelations he attended a drinks a party during lockdown.

The Times reports they are considering releasing text messages and a secret recording of a "heated" conversation with the chief whip to support their claims.

The BBC has also been told an MP had been threatened with losing their seat under changes to constituency boundaries.

One of the rebel MPs told the BBC that Mr Johnson's team, rather than the party's whips, were now reaching out to try to them get back on-board.

They added: "It's clear the whip office machine has completely broken down, and No 10 realises an enormous mistake has been made and are now properly reaching out to those they should have in the first place, rather than making an enemy of backbenchers who were wavering."

The prime minister has been under pressure since he admitted attending a drinks event during the first lockdown, although he says he believed it was a work event.

Mr Johnson has faced calls from some of his own MPs to step down, however he appears to have temporarily survived the challenge to his leadership, with many Conservatives saying they will wait for Sue Gray's report before making a judgement.

MPs in Westminster are awaiting Sue Gray's report which could be completed next week


The senior civil servant is investigating gatherings that took place on government premises while coronavirus restrictions were in place.

Asked about Mr Johnson's future, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss - who has been touted as a leadership contender - said she supported him "100%" and that she wanted him to "continue as long as possible in his job".

Meanwhile, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has questioned claims an MP was threatened with cuts to school funding in his constituency if he did not back the government.

Christian Wakeford - who defected from the Conservatives to Labour in protest at Boris Johnson's leadership - says ministers had previously threatened to withdraw funding for a new secondary school in his Bury South constituency if he voted against the government.

Mr Wakeford told BBC North West Tonight: "This is a town that's not had a high school for the best part of 10 years and how would you feel with holding back the regeneration of a town for a vote?"

The funding bid for the school was approved in February 2021, and it is expected to open in 2024.

Labour sources say the vote in question was about extending free school meal provision.

Mr Kwarteng said the accusation was "probably not true" but would be investigated if evidence emerged.

He said he had "never heard of anything like this" since becoming an MP but if it had happened it would be "very seriously regarded" by the government.

He added that is not "how parliamentary democracy should be conducted".

Asked about Mr Wakeford's allegations on Thursday, Boris Johnson said he had "seen no evidence" to support them.

Former Conservative MP Ben Howlett told BBC News he had been threatened by a whip to make sure he supported the government's Brexit policy.

"One of the tactics used to make sure I fell into line... was to threaten the withholding of money to pay for an investigation into whether this link road was being built."

He said the whips system was "completely unacceptable" and needed to be reviewed.


Christian Wakeford says he was threatened to vote in a certain way


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×