Ashby MP Andrew Bridgen claims a vote of no-confidence in Boris Johnson is 'close' and could happen as early as next week.

Mr Bridgen has been a vocal opponent of the Prime Minister in recent days following revelations of a number of parties that took place during lockdown in 2020.

The number of Tory MPs who have sent letters to 1922 committee chairman Sir Graham Brady is currently unknown, but it has been claimed the threshold of 54 is in sight.

Mr Bridgen, Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire, told Channel 4 News today (Thursday) that a "frenzy of activity" from the whips office indicates the number has almost been met.

The claims came on a day in which allegations of "blackmail" and "intimidation" from Government whips in a bid to get MPs to withdraw their letters.

Mr Bridgen said: "I think we're close. There's a frenzy of activity from the Government whip's office which indicates we're fairly close.

"Bear in mind, that's when Sir Graham Brady gets to that threshold, first of all, he'll go until number 10 of the Prime Minister out of courtesy, then I think it's 12 hours later he'll go public.

"So I think whatever announcement he makes will probably be around 9am the following morning.

"I think we'll probably get to the threshold this week, which means we will be having a confidence vote next week, probably Tuesday or Wednesday.

"Hopefully the Sue Gray report will be out by then. But the Prime Minister's detractors - Dominic Cummings - for instance. I think once we get to that threshold of a confidence motion, he's going to unload whatever he's got left in his arsenal to damage the Prime Minister."

Mr Bridgen was asked what the implications are if the Prime Minister "clings on" and added: "Well, I think the more worrying polls, the poll I saw this morning, which said that more than half of the people who voted conservative in 2019 - and people will claim that that was for Boris Johnson in part - now want the Prime Minister to stand down.

"That's absolutely damning for the conservatives. I honestly think that if this rumbles on any much longer, Boris Johnson instead of being a political asset, he's actually an existential threat to the future of the Conservative Party."