Eleven Conservative MPs have submitted letters of no confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Telegraph reported.
Earlier, it was reported that about 20 letters of no confidence, “some sent, some in draft”, were expected to be submitted. According to the Guardian, a group of Conservative MPs has been plotting how to oust their party's leader. They even dubbed the "operation" the "pork pie putsch", after the Melton Mowbray pork pie, because the group met in the office of the MP for Melton Mowbray.
Fifty-four letters from Conservative lawmakers are needed to initiate a no-confidence vote in the prime minister.
During a Q&A session in Parliament earlier this week, Johnson admitted that he'd attended a gathering at No. 10 on 20 May 2020, when strict coronavirus restrictions were in place but insisted that he thought that was a "work event". The Prime Minister's former adviser Dominic Cummings argued on Monday that Johnson had known in advance about a drinks party at his residence, adding that he could "swear under oath" it was so.
An investigation was launched to find out whether there were repeated breaches of COVID-related restrictions at Downing Street. The investigation is being led by senior government official Sue Gray, and it's expected that her report will be released in the next two weeks.