London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 11, 2025

Who are the key Tory MPs hoping to remove Boris Johnson?

Who are the key Tory MPs hoping to remove Boris Johnson?

Criticism of prime minister has come from across the party spectrum, as calls grow for PM to quit

The MPs hoping to topple Boris Johnson can hardly be described as plotters when so little organisation exists between the prime minister’s critics. They include veteran ex-ministers, lockdown critics, Brexiters, one-man mavericks and centrist softies.

The disparate nature of the letter writers spread across the party spectrum has meant little coordination about the timing of the calls for PM to go – and makes work hard for the Conservative whips who cannot keep track of rebel numbers in WhatsApp groups or committee rooms. But it also puts the rebels at a disadvantage when it comes to coordinating a vote of no confidence – with no real idea of their own numbers.

Here are some of the key MPs from different wings of the party hoping to remove the prime minister.

William Wragg


A Brexiter and a member of the Common Sense group of rightwing Tories, Wragg was a critic of the prime minister over lockdown rules but has said he has become gradually more disgusted with Johnson’s moral character – and submitted his letter after the resignation of Allegra Stratton. He said he could not hide his views with “ever more elaborate disguises”.

Wragg, the chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, has been the chosen counsel of more inexperienced MPs who are frustrated with Johnson – and the MP for Hazel Grove has led the charge against party whips for their alleged intimidation tactics against backbenchers, including reporting them to police. His seat is a key Lib Dem target.

Tobias Ellwood


A former defence minister who now chairs the select committee, Ellwood is something of a lone operator rather than secretly coordinating plots, but he is well-liked across the centrist wing of the party and has been a siren voice warning of the electoral threat the Tories face.

Ellwood has preferred to do his lobbying of colleagues in public, rather than in smoke-filled rooms, with passionate speeches on broadcast media and in the House of Commons chamber.

For that, he has often been the target of abuse from Johnson’s supporters, who heckled him in the Commons last week as he warned: “Can we continue to govern without distraction, given the erosion of the trust of the British people? And can we win a general election on this trajectory?”

Mark Harper


The former chief whip was the organiser-in-chief of the anti-lockdown Covid Recovery Group, which successfully coordinated mass rebellions against Covid-19 measures, including several where the PM would have been defeated were it not for Labour support.

His main ally in the rebellions was the formidable Steve Baker, a key architect of whipping efforts against Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Baker has also called for Johnson to go – but says this one isn’t his fight.

Harper’s role is to channel the anger that the significant chunk of lockdown sceptics felt towards the prime minister who had broken his own, hated rules. His Forest of Dean seat is safe, but Harper has run for the leadership in the past and may fancy another go.

Andrew Bridgen


A serial rebel against prime ministers, Bridgen has put in a letter of no confidence against David Cameron, Theresa May and now Boris Johnson – though he briefly withdrew it after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Bridgen, a staunch Brexiter who sits on the rightmost edges of the party, operates as a one-man-band but he is still symbolic of the fact that Johnson’s critics are from far-flung reaches of the Conservative party spectrum, not all remainers or Tory “wets” who are out of favour with the prime minister.

Alicia Kearns


A serious-minded and ambitious 2019 MP, Kearns was the main figure in the early “pork pie plot” against the prime minister by a group of disgruntled new MPs – it was named after her constituency, which is home to Melton Mowbray.

She is among a small, select group of new MPs who have been dismayed at the chaotic style of Johnson’s leadership, including those with seats potentially under threat from Labour and the Lib Dems such as Aaron Bell (Newcastle-under-Lyme) and Elliot Colburn (Carshalton and Wallington), though she has a huge majority herself.

Kearns has gone public with her letter of no confidence in the prime minister, though others in her cohort are known to be extremely wary of submitting letters because of a paranoia about leaks.

Caroline Nokes


The former cabinet minister is perhaps the most outspoken former cabinet minister against Johnson who is still on the green benches, among those briefly thrown out of the party by Johnson over their votes to stop no deal before the general election. She was one of the first MPs to declare no confidence in the prime minister publicly.

Nokes is not an organiser, but as chair of the women and equalities select committee, she is a mentor figure for younger Conservative women in parliament and has been particularly vocal on sexism in parliament.

Stephen Hammond


Hammond and his fellow former ministers Steve Brine and Sir Bob Neill are emblematic of the veteran Conservatives who have long been sceptical of Boris Johnson – many of them members of the One Nation group of centrist Tories.

Not all of Johnson’s critics within that group have gone public with letters or even calls for the prime minister’s resignation – but they would be likely to back Jeremy Hunt or Tom Tugendhat in any leadership race.

For this group, which has no explicit ringleader and flinches at the idea of coordinating a plot, the timing of any vote of no confidence is key and several had privately cautioned younger colleagues against accidentally triggering a vote earlier in the year, believing that timing post-Gray report was key so that MPs could see the full extent of the evidence against Johnson.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
×