Boris Johnson faced Tory calls to shake up his top team last night, as a Whitehall hunt got under way to unmask the 'chatty pig' who betrayed him to the BBC.
Former Conservative leader William Hague led demands for the Prime Minister to pay more attention to the views of senior ministers, saying there was 'still time for the Tories to get a grip'.
Other former ministers called for Mr Johnson to install a 'big hitter', such as Australian elections guru Sir Lynton Crosby, to sharpen up his top team after weeks of problems.
Concern about the No 10 operation crystallised on Monday night when a 'senior Downing Street source' gave a brutal briefing to the BBC calling the Prime Minister's CBI speech 'shambolic'.
He had lost his place for more than 20 seconds during the address and rhapsodised about children's TV character Peppa Pig.
'It's just not working,' the source claimed.
'Cabinet needs to wake up and demand serious changes otherwise it'll keep getting worse.
'If they don't insist, he just won't do anything about it.'
The incendiary comment ignited a furious briefing war, with several government insiders blaming the Treasury – a claim furiously denied by allies of Rishi Sunak.
Concern about the No 10 operation crystallised on Monday night when a 'senior Downing Street source' gave a brutal briefing to the BBC calling the Prime Minister's CBI speech 'shambolic'.
Boris Johnson and son Wilfred at Peppa Pig World in the New Forest
It also sparked a Whitehall hunt for the 'chatty pig' amid fears they could unleash further damage on the Government.
The phrase is a riff on the 'chatty rat' scandal, when someone leaked plans for a second national Covid lockdown last year.
Last night, it was claimed that frustrations were growing in the Treasury at No 10's handling of recent political announcements, with Mr Sunak's department said to be concerned about the integrated rail plan and the latest row over social care.
Downing Street robustly defended the Prime Minister yesterday, insisting that he was 'well' and 'very much focused on delivering for the public'.
However, some Tory MPs warned that political misjudgements, U-turns and ill-discipline were eating away at the party's reputation for competence.
Last week Mr Johnson privately apologised to Tory MPs for 'crashing the car' by trying to block the suspension of former minister Owen Paterson for lobbying.
Former Cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt said the Government was simply going through a bad patch.
Last night, it was claimed that frustrations were growing in the Treasury at No 10's handling of recent political announcements, with Mr Sunak's department said to be concerned about the integrated rail plan and the latest row over social care
'It has been a bad month, I will absolutely concede that – not just on trivial issues like speeches going wrong but much more serious issues like parliamentary standards.
'But I think in the end this government... will be judged on reforms for ordinary people.'
Mr Hunt acknowledged there were 'noises off' about Mr Johnson's leadership within the Tory party, but insisted the criticism was not on the scale of that faced by David Cameron or Theresa May.
Richard Holden, an influential member of the 2019 intake of 'Red Wall' Tory MPs, told the grassroots website Conservative Home: 'At a national level, it feels like the Government is missing chances to highlight the good work that such Conservative MPs are doing.
'And that it is making a few too many unforced errors.'
Mr Johnson's spokesman insisted he already consults senior colleagues on key issues, adding: 'The Prime Minister has an entire Cabinet to draw on who provide advice, as you would expect.'
Did squealer come from Rishi's glossy spin team?
By Jason Groves Political Editor for the Daily Mail
By any standards it was a damaging briefing. In the context it was nothing short of toxic. Hours after Boris Johnson had come off stage following a 'difficult' speech to the CBI, a 'senior Downing Street source' went on the attack.
'There is a lot of concern inside the building about the PM,' the source told the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
'It's just not working. Cabinet needs to wake up and demand serious changes, otherwise it'll keep getting worse. If they don't insist, he just won't do anything about it.'
The Prime Minister's speech had certainly been difficult. At one point he lost his place for 20 seconds, muttering 'Forgive me' repeatedly as the nation's business leaders looked on.
And his attempt to liven up a discussion about Britain's creative power by regaling the suits of the CBI with details of his trip the previous day to Peppa Pig World also fell flat. Even allies acknowledged it
