Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister after Conservatives including MPs from Sussex call on him to go

Already rocked by Partygate, he survived a vote of confidence by his MPs, but he has been heavily criticised for his handling of allegations against former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

On Tuesday evening both Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Rishi Sunak resigned, piling pressure on the PM.

Over the last day and a half there has been a steady drip of government resignations and calls for the PM to go.

Last night even many in his cabinet were telling him to go, but it appeared he would fight on.

But this morning he is poised to announce his resignation. It is not clear whether he would quit immediately or stay on until the Conservative Party picks his successor.

Nick Gibb, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, said this morning: “As well as resigning as Party leader the PM must resign his office. After losing so many ministers, he has lost the trust and authority required to continue. We need an acting PM who is not a candidate for leader to stabilise the government while a new leader is elected.”

The last straw appeared to be cabinet resignations, with Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, Education Secretary Michelle Donelan and Welsh Secretary Simon Hart all stepping down.

Meanwhile Nadhim Zahawi had also called on Mr Johnson to go.

In Sussex, Conservative MPs have also been asking the PM to step down. These included Caroline Ansell (Eastbourne), Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle), Sally-Ann Hart (Hastings and Rye) and Henry Smith (Crawley).

Mims Davies, Mid Sussex MP, was one of the members of government to resign yesterday, stepping down as employment minister.

Other members of the government who represent constituencies in Sussex, have been silent over the past few days. These are care minister Gillian Keegan (Chichester), minister for patient safety and primary care Maria Caulfield (Lewes), defence procurement minister Jeremy Quin (Horsham) and policy minister Andrew Griffith (Arundel and South Downs).