Media 'hounded Boris Johnson out of office' says Shrewsbury MP
A Shropshire MP has accused the media of hounding the Prime Minister out of office.
Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, said Boris Johnson had come under relentless scrutiny from the media over recent months.
"I think the way the media has hounded the Prime Minister has contributed to this very sad day, and I am very sad," he said.
"When you remove your team captain, when you remove the leader of your party, that is a dramatic moment I think for any parliamentarian.
"I thought he was a very good leader. He delivered Brexit.
"He got us the largest majority that we’ve had since 1987. And he was implementing a real leadership on our continent, probably better than any other European leader, in terms of standing up to Russian aggression and dealing with other crises."
Mr Kawczynski admitted mistakes had been made, and said there were questions to be answered over the handling of disgraced former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
"Undoubtedly mistakes have been made. But leaders, all great leaders, do make mistakes periodically and have to be held to account for those mistakes," he said.
"Mr Pincher has let down himself, he has let down the parliamentary party, and he has contributed to the precipitation of the removal of the leader of the Conservative Party," said Mr Kawczynski.
Mr Johnson announced he would be standing down as Conservative leader and Prime Minister at lunchtime on Thursday, following a spate of resignations from the Government.
Former prime minister Sir John Major has written to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, demanding Mr Johnson should leave office with immediate effect, and not be allowed to continue in the interim while a successor is elected.
But Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, said precedent was that Mr Johnson should continue in office until a replacement had been chosen.
"I like John Major, I respect him hugely, I think he gets most things right, but on this one he's wrong," said Mr Pritchard, a former secretary of the 1922 Committee for backbench MPs.
"David Cameron, in the transition, carried on as prime minister, Theresa May for six or seven weeks, I think it is right that the Prime Minister should carry on. He's set out a timetable, he's said he's going to go, people should in a way leave him alone and let him get on and govern the country for the next few months."
Telford's MP Lucy Allan said that any change in leadership in the embattled Conservative Party should require "a new mandate from the people".
Ms Allan, who had announced earlier on Wednesday that she no longer supported Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, tweeted after he resisted sustained calls to resign on Wednesday night - including from ministers who visited No 10 to ask him to go.
In comments interpreted as being a call for an election in the event of a new leader, Ms Allan said: "A transfer of power to a new leader without a democratic mandate, I would completely oppose that.
"If we change the leader we need a new mandate from the people, not the MPs.
"It’s called democracy which I value above all else."
Ms Allan, who until this week had been a loyal supporter of Mr Johnson, had earlier on Wednesday said she had lost confidence in him and it was time for him to go.
