Rebel Tory MPs 'give up and go to the pub' as plot to oust Rishi Sunak falls ... trends now
The Tory plot to oust Rishi Sunak fizzled out yesterday, despite 'disappointing' local election results that leave Labour on course for power.
Disaffected Tories had planned to use the elections as a springboard for a coup against the Prime Minister.
But despite results that left the Conservatives on track to lose half the seats they contested, rebels admitted they had not persuaded enough MPs to join them to force a vote of no confidence in Mr Sunak's leadership.
One rebel said simply: 'We're off to the pub.'
Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the first Tory MP to publicly move against the PM, said it was 'unlikely' that others would follow in sufficient numbers to trigger a leadership contest.
Tory Ben Houchen (pictured) who won the Tees Valley mayoral race and posed with Rishi Sunak following his victory
Rishi Sunak was under threat of being ousted following disappointing local election results but the plot to replace him fizzled out with Tory rebels opting to go to the pub instead
Conservatives MPs are worried that the latest local election results will pave the way for a Labour victory at the next general election
'My stance is the same,' she said. 'But we are where we are and it is looking unlikely that the MPs are going to put the letters in, so we need to pull together.'
Former Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries – another high-profile critic of the PM – said it would be 'madness' to try to replace Mr Sunak before the general election, adding that it would 'make no difference' to the result.
One rebel source said it was clear that Mr Sunak would 'limp on to the election', adding: 'We're not kamikaze pilots. In the end, there are too many MPs with their heads stuck in the sand for it to work.'
One ally of the PM urged warring Tories to unite behind Mr Sunak and take the fight to Labour. 'It would certainly help if we could get to a situation where everyone was turning their fire on Labour instead of constantly warring with each other,' the source said.
The Tories are on course to lose around 500 of the 1,000 seats they were defending. Labour took control of
