UK government ministers have warned that embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson has two weeks to implement a number of urgent tasks in order to save his scandal-hit carrier, The Sun reports.
According to the newspaper, the ministers specifically urged the PM to lift the mask mandate and COVID vaccine passports, scrap the booze culture on Downing Street, as well as "take a broom to No 10" and "clear out the metropolitan elites" in order to reconnect with his party and voters.
The Sun cited one unnamed cabinet minister as saying that "there's a very easy way to get back into MPs' good books, but there will be a fight".
The minister argued that Johnson would need the "stomach" to overcome medics and teaching unions who want mask wearing to continue for months to come. The official claimed that the to-do plan is "his [the PM's] only ace left to play".
Another minister reportedly drew parallels between Johnson and 72-year-old British businessman Gerald Ratner who is known for sinking his jewellery empire with a speech, in which he slammed his own cheap products.
"It is a bit like when Ratner joked that he could flog a decanter and sherry glasses for £4.95 because they were crap. If this is Boris' Ratner moment then he is broken. A few announcements will not rescue it. If you think it is terminal then you may as well sell up and start again", the minister asserted.
The remarks followed those of senior Tory members who said that Johnson should stand down as he faced a grilling in the House of Commons on Wednesday over the so-called "partygate" scandal.
The British prime minister apologised for attending the No 10 garden party in May 2020 amid the first pandemic lockdown, adding that he thought it was a "work event" and that he "went outside for 25 minutes" to thank his staff.
The past few months have seen Johnson facing a host of challenges, including a Tory sleaze scandal, a backbencher rebellion over the nation's COVID-19 rules, allegations of lockdown-breaching No 10 social gatherings in 2020, and a Tory by-election loss in Shropshire.
The scandals have already prompted speculation that Johnson's resignation is just a matter of time, with The Telegraph reporting that Chancellor Rishi Sunak is "the favourite to replace Mr Johnson at No 10 according to bookmakers and polling of the public".