By Iain Watson
(BBC) – The prime minister will face Sir Keir Starmer again in the Commons at lunchtime.
Boris Johnson will know, though, that some of his fiercest critics will be sitting behind, and not in front of, him.
Half a dozen of his own MPs have publicly called for him to go, and some others are privately of the same view.
He will, of course, expect to hear cheers from supporters and from some other colleagues who want to rally round in the face of Labour attacks.
Perhaps more crucially, though, are a disparate group of MPs that you might call “considerers”. They are weighing up whether to submit letters of no confidence, which would trigger a leadership contest.
They will be listening closely to his answers.
So what – for now – is holding them back?
Fade to Gray
Most Conservative MPs will say they will await the conclusion of the investigation into the gatherings in Downing Street by the senior civil servant Sue Gray before deciding how to proceed.
One of those who has already called for Mr Johnson’s departure has urged his colleagues “to grow some”. He said he had 1,500 hostile letters from constituents and “this can’t go on”.
But in truth some of those colleagues tell me they are merely awaiting the completion of “due process”.
Virtually irrespective of what Sue Gray says, they will join the cacophonous chorus calling for him to go in due course.
