A minister asked a meeting of conservative deputies whether it was still possible to present a letter of no confidence to the prime minister after he had announced the election, Sky News found.
Sky political editor Beth Rigby revealed in her Podcast on Electoral Dysfunction that health minister, Dame Andrea Leadsom, asked the question yesterday at the 1922 Committee of Conservative Deputies.
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Dame Andrea declined to comment when contacted by Sky News, saying “meetings of the 1922 Committee are private”.
Dame Andrea Leadsom is minister for health. Photo: PA
Hours later Rishi Sunak announced that there would be an election on 4 July, Beth Rigby reported that there had been considerable discussion in conservative WhatsApp groups about whether there was still a path to preventing a general election.
She told the podcast that MPs were “really unhappy” with the timing of the vote, with some texting her saying it was “absolute madness”.
A minister, she says, told her that letters were already being sent out again for a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, indicating that the election was called “from a position of weakness”.
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Meanwhile, former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson criticized those who plotted against the First Minister.
“This group of people are acting like paper tigers,” she told the podcast.
“At any other time they could have stepped in to actually do something, think now they can do a rearguard action to stop a general election once Pandora is out of the damn box.”
The campaign began on Thursday, with the prime minister embarking on a two-day trip across four countries.
Email Beth, Ruth and Jess at electoral dysfunction@sky.ukTweet Beth @BethRigby or send a WhatsApp voice message to 07934 200 444.
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