Boris Johnson was dealt a second body blow within hours of his crushing by-election defeats in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton, as close ally Oliver Dowden quit as Conservative chairman.
In a letter released early on Friday, Mr Dowden appeared to point to the Partygate scandal as a key factor in the double setback, saying that he shared the feelings of Tory supporters who were “distressed and disappointed by recent events”.
In a message calling for at the least a change in direction, if not a change of leadership, for the Conservative government, Mr Dowden said: “We cannot carry on with business as usual.”
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