Scotland Yard will meet with rebel Tory leader Boris Johnson who claimed government whips had ‘blackmailed’ backbenchers to get rid of him. It is believed that Johnson has reinstituted his leadership team in the face of no confidence vote.
William Wragg (34) said he was meeting with a Metropolitan Police Detective in the House of Commons to discuss his accusations. It raises concerns that police might open an investigation.
On Thursday, senior Tory Mr Wragg claimed Boris Johnson’s critics were facing ‘intimidation’ as part of an effort to prevent him being ousted from office.
In an attempt to keep his premiership in the face of rising Partygate chaos, the Prime Minister reportedly revived the ministers from the winning 2019 contest.
Wragg indicated that on Friday he planned to inform the detective about’several” instances of bullying, intimidation and some cases involving public money.
The Telegraph reported that he stood by his statements. That will not be changed by any gas-lighting.
William Wragg (pictured), 34 years old, stated that he was meeting with a Metropolitan Police Detective in the House of Commons to discuss his accusations of ‘blackmail.
He added, “I will meet the Police in the early part of next week,”
According to the Metropolitan Police, if a criminal offense was reported it would be considered.
This comes after Downing Street stated that it wouldn’t be conducting its own investigation into the allegations, despite being asked by opposition and Conservative MPs.
According to a spokesperson from No 10, it would not open an inquiry until it presented evidence supporting Mr Wragg’s claims.
The Chair of Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Mr. Wragg said that an investigation should not be done by the police.
According to a spokesperson for Metropolitan Police, if there were any criminal allegations that should be made, the Met would investigate them.
The spokesman for the media said: “We are not in a position to discuss.”
MailOnline reached out to No. 10 to request comment.
Johnson, meanwhile, is believed to be recording the positions of all Tory MPs using the same group of ministers that helped him win the 2019 leadership race.
Senior Tory M Wragg (pictured) claimed that Boris Johnson’s critics were being intimidated as part of the effort to stop him from losing his office
They are said to be compiling a spreadsheet outlining which politicians are loyal to Mr Johnson, which are wavering and which want to oust him, as fears of a no-confidence vote in the Premier are increasing, The Times reported.
Grant Shapps, transport secretary, has been credited with restoring the spreadsheet he made in 2019 and helping to ensure Mr Johnson’s victory in the leadership race.
Three former whips – Chris Pincher, Chris Heaton Harris and Nigel Adams – and Conor Burns, who was Mr Johnson’s parliamentary private secretary when he was foreign secretary, have also reportedly joined the operation.
It is thought that the operation of this team was separate to government whips office’s survey of MPs.
According to a source, “They’re doing things that whips can’t do without alarming suspicion and panic,” a source said to The Times.
According to reports, around 300 Conservative MPs support the Prime Minister’s team. This is in response to growing concerns about a no-confidence vote.
Conservative Party rules permit MPs to forcibly vote against their leader.
The vote is triggered if 15 per cent of Tory MPs – or 54 MPs – send letters to the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady.
According to some reports, Johnson could be using the same group of ministers that helped him win the 2019 leadership contest (not shown), in order to document the position of all Tory MPs
It comes after rebel Tories have threatened to release a secret recording of Government whips’ allegedly making ‘blackmail’ threats.
Backbenchers calling on the Prime Minister’s replacement amid Partygate chaos allege that they taped party enforcers who attempted to bully MPs as well as copies of texts messages.
On Thursday, Mr Johnson claimed he had not seen any evidence to back the assertion made by Mr Wragg about his critics being intimidated as part of an attempt to stop him from losing office.
The incendiary claims include Christian Wakeford’s claim that he was threatened with losing his Bury South seat if the Government did not allow him to find for new schools in his Bury South area.
The Times claimed that Tory MPs who wanted to see Mr Johnson’s back secretly recorded heated conversations with Mark Spencer (the chief whip) and text messages in support of the allegations.
Kwasi Kwarteng (Business Secretary) today said that he did not believe such a thing was possible, and that blackmail threats like those alleged were ‘unacceptable.
According to him, the job of the whips is to persuade voters to vote for the Government as they have for many decades. They use a range of methods to accomplish this.
However, he stated that the idea of them saying to MPs “Well, if your vote isn’t with the Government, your school or hospital won’t receive the required funds” was shameful.
He stated that these are serious allegations and should be investigated. If people behave this way, I think they deserve to face consequences.
Christian Wakeford (pictured) claimed that he was threatened with losing the funding for a new Bury South school if he refused to support the Government’s plan to eliminate free food for children.
According to a poll, Mr Johnson’s popularity rating has fallen to the same level as Jeremy Corbyn in advance of the 2019 general elections. Rishi Sunak however is seen positively.
“I consider it extremely unlikely, but we will have to investigate this.”
The email was discovered by Sue Gray, a senior official in an inquiry into allegations of rule-busting gatherings throughout Government. It said that Martin Reynolds, Martin Johnson’s principal personal secretary, had sent an email cautioning him not to hold a drink party in No. 10 garden after the lockdown.
According to ITV News, the email was sent by a top official and stated that Reynolds should cancel the event because it violated the rules.
Johnson confessed to attending the event for 25 minutes, on May 20, 2020. He maintained, however, that he thought it was work and was not told it would violate the rules.
In an attempt to maintain his position, the PM was battling allegations that Tory critics have been subject to ‘intimidation’.
On Thursday, Mr Wragg stated that he received reports about conduct from’members at 10 Downing Street and special advisors, Ministers of Government, and other individuals encouraging publication of stories in press to embarrass people who suspect they lack confidence in Prime Minister’.
The intimidation of members of parliament is an extremely serious matter. According to the Chairman of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, any report I know would be considered blackmail.
“As such, I would advise my colleagues to report the matter to the Speaker of House of Commons as well to the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police.
On a trip to Taunton Mr Johnson said that he had not seen or heard any evidence to back up the allegations.
Sue Gray (pictured), was reported to have received an email warning Martin Reynolds’ principal private secretary Mr Johnson against hosting a drink party at No.10 garden.
Although he stated that he would look into the evidence, No. 10 indicated there was no plan to open an investigation like Labour demanded.
The Times reports that a Tory MP stated they had been told by a whip, “You’re done,” when voting against last year’s Government.
Also, the newspaper claimed that Tory rebels met in person on Thursday to decide their next steps.
Wragg was one of only a few Tory backbenchers that have made public statements to say they’ve written to Sir Graham Brady, the Chairman of the Backbench 1922 Committee. This letter called for a No-confidence vote against Mr Johnson.
He suggested that the threat by the Government Whips Office to withhold public funds from constituencies of MPs may have violated the ministerial codes.
Christian Wakeford is the Labour MP who defected in protest against Mr Johnson’s leadership.
Metropolitan Police stated that they will consider all complaints.
A Met spokesperson said that if a crime is reported, the Met would consider it.
Based on reports by Ms Gray that Reynolds had received an email informing her not to host a Downing Street party, No.10 said it wouldn’t comment.