Stormy times ahead as Boris jumps ship

BORIS Johnson’s last hopes of clinging to power evaporated in the heat of a sunbaked Wednesday afternoon.

- David Williamson

MPs with rolled-up shirtsleeves stared at their phones, trying to keep track of the latest resignations as the reality sunk in that the post-Boris era had all but arrived.

Hours earlier, Mr Johnson had stood up in the Commons for Prime Minister’s Questions – but not even this master showman could win round MPs.

For one Conservative backbencher, his zingless performance was more proof of why it was time for the curtain to fall. A PM is really in trouble, they said, “when you start to feel pity for them”.

There was worse to come when Mr Johnson sat down for a grilling by the Commons Liaison Committee. He admitted he had met Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev, reportedly a former KGB officer, without aides.