Raab plays down talk of confidence vote

But Tory peer thinks threshold could be breached as soon as next week

- Rachael Burford and Nicholas Cecil

LEADING Conservatives today clashed over whether Boris Johnson will face a leadership challenge as soon as next week.

Rumours that rebel Tory MPs would soon reach the threshold to force a confidence vote have been "whipped up", Dominic Raab said. The deputy prime minister insisted it was "unlikely" Mr Johnson would face a leadership challenge in the coming days.

However, Tory peer Lord Hayward said MPs representing the "gravel drive, Waitrose shopping areas" of the South East had been spooked by the party's poor results in the local elections last month.

"What is striking since the recess is the majority of the people who are putting in letters are ones who had local elections in their constituencies," the elections expert told Sky News.