Grim polls have laid bare the devastating impact of Partygate today - even though Boris Johnson seems to have staved off the immediate threat of being ousted.
The Conservatives are now 11 points behind in crucial Red Wall seats, according to one survey, while in London they are trailing Labour by a massive 32 points.
The dire figures underline why Mr Johnson has been facing a growing backlash from his MPs over the scandal, which is clearly cutting through to voters.
There are claims the flow of letters demanding a no-confidence vote has been stemmed after Bury South MP Christian Wakeford dramatically defected to Labour.
Meanwhile, a full-frontal attack from ex-Cabinet minister David Davis at PMQs - telling Mr Johnson 'in the name of God, go!' - also seemed to backfire.
However, it could only be a temporary reprieve for Mr Johnson unless he can stop the dive in the polls.
The survey by JL Partners for Channel 4 News - conducted in 45 seats in the North and Midlands that were won from Labour in 2019 - suggests a huge turnaround from the nine-point advantage they had then.
A YouGov poll has put Labour 32 points ahead of the Tories in London, raising the prospect of many MPs losing their seats.
At the general election the Conservatives were only 16 points adrift in the capital.
Meanwhile, the latest Savanta ComRes tracker has found that Mr Johnson's personal ratings have plummeted another 10 points to minus 37.
A poll today found that the Tories are 11 points behind Labour in crucial Red Wall seats - a dramatic turnaround from the nine-point advantage they had at the 2019 election
The dire figures underline why Boris Johnson has been facing a growing backlash from his MPs over the Partygate scandal
Conservatives immediately focused their fury on the betrayal by the Red Wall MP, who has a wafer-thin majority of just 402 in Bury South.
Meanwhile, senior Tory figures claimed that Mr Davis's attack may have actually helped the premier.
A Cabinet minister told MailOnline: 'The tribal nature of politics and the ''professional grump'' nature of David seems to have cooled the mood.'
Allies of Mr Johnson branded Mr Davis 'a loner', while another MP who has been increasingly frustrated at Mr Johnson's performance said he appeared to be 'back to his normal self'.
'If you are going to tell the boss to resign you do it privately,' an ex-minister said. 'He is not a popular character. He is very prickly.'
Amid what has been dubbed a 'Pork Pie plot' by 2019 intake Tory politicians, Mr Wakeford already declared he had put in a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson.
And he was on the Opposition benches this afternoon wearing a Union Jack face mask.
In a parting shot letter to the premier, Mr Wakeford branded Mr Johnson's leadership 'disgraceful' and said he believed Labour would do more to tackle the cost of living crisis.
Sir Keir
