BORIS Johnson faced a day of humiliation yesterday after a Tory grandee told him to resign and one of his MPs defected to Labour.

Christian Wakeford crossed the floor of the Commons just moments before Prime Minister’s Questions, where he took a seat on the Labour benches directly behind his new leader.

David Davis, who has been a Conservative MP since 1987, issued a direct attack against Mr Johnson during PMQs when he told him “In the name of God, go” in front of a packed chamber.

The MP was a supporter of Mr Johnson, and quit Theresa May’s Cabinet alongside him in 2018.

However, he told the Commons yesterday he was no longer able to support Mr Johnson, apparently unimpressed by his television interview on Monday.

He said: “Like many on the Government benches, I have spent weeks and months defending the Prime Minister against often angry constituents.

“I have reminded them of his success in delivering Brexit and the vaccines, and many other things. But I expect my leaders to shoulder the responsibility for the actions they take.

“Yesterday, the Prime Minister did the opposite of that, so I will remind him of a quotation that will be altogether too familiar to him. Leo Amery said to Neville Chamberlain: ‘You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing … In the name of God, go’.”

The remarks shook Conservative MPs, while Mr Johnson appeared flustered when he replied that he did “not know what he is talking about” and said he took “full responsibility” for his actions.

MPs from the opposition parties repeatedly urged the Prime Minister to resign, with Labour leader Keir Starmer visibly jubilant as he challenged Mr Johnson.

He said the Prime Minister was “out of touch, out of control and soon to be out of office” while pressing him on his various statements about parties held across Downing Street.

Mr Johnson urged him to wait for the report by civil servant Sue Gray, who is looking into allegations of gatherings and parties across Whitehall throughout the pandemic.

The Herald:

He said: “I have said what I have said about the events in Number 10 and [Keir Starmer] will have to wait for the report.”

MPs are on tenterhooks as rumours swirl about the number of letters being submitted to the powerful 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs.

Last night, several senior Conservative sources told The Herald they were “certain” the threshold for triggering a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister would be reached.

A total of 54 letters have to be submitted to the committee chairman Sir Graham Brady in order to launch a vote.

Some have speculated that Mr Johnson would simply resign if he knew he was facing a vote of no confidence. However, Downing Street officials dismissed this yesterday.

Mr Johnson’s press secretary was asked if he would fight in the event of a vote, to which she said: “Yes, he will.”

Asked if the Prime Minister was confident he would win in the vote, she said that scenario was “hypothetical” but added: “Our focus is very clear in terms of delivering the ambitious agenda that we have set out, that we were elected on in 2019, and we’ll continue to work together as Conservatives to deliver this.”

Asked if he planned to fight the next election, the press secretary also said “yes”.

Sources within the Conservative party said the atmosphere is now “hostile, tense and fragmented” but there appeared to be some consensus that 54 letters would eventually be submitted to Sir Graham.

One source said: “Boris’s interview earlier in the week was a complete car crash, and PMQs was another disaster. It is not working any longer, the excuse that everyone must wait for the Sue Gray inquiry before he is able to admit or acknowledge anything.

“I think David Davis speaking out and telling him to go today really shocked people, and it could prompt some more letters to the 1922.”

Another source added: “It will happen, it’s just a matter of time. His days are numbered one way or the other, as everyone knows we can’t go in to another General Election with him.

“I think [Christian Wakeford] leaving might have bought him some time, as some people think he went a step too far.”

Mr Wakeford, MP for Bury South and a member of the “red wall” group of Tories elected in 2019, was scathing in his letter to the Prime Minister announcing his defection.

He said the country needed a Government that “upholds the highest standards of integrity and probity”, but told Mr Johnson “both you and the Conservative Party as a whole have shown themselves incapable of offering the leadership and Government this country deserves”.

Mr Wakeford became the first Tory MP to join Labour since Quentin Davies in 2007, and the first MP to leave the Government side to join the Opposition.

He explained: “This isn’t a matter of just deciding this morning that I want to be a Labour MP.

“This has been many months in the build-up, whether it goes back to issues of free school meals, of Dominic Cummings, over Universal Credit, the cost of living crisis, the Owen Paterson affair and now partygate.

“There’s been a lot of build-up to this and a lot of soul-searching that’s taken many sleepless nights.

“But it’s ultimately the right decision and I hope my former colleagues can, at least if they don’t agree, understand.”

Mr Wakeford’s defection stunned many Tories as they watched him join the Labour benches in the Commons around 11.55am yesterday.

There were cheers from Labour MPs who waved their order papers while the Conservatives looked on in confusion.

Some MPs referred to Mr Wakeford as a “traitor” later in the day.

Not all in the Labour party were pleased about the defection either, with the left-wing group Momentum saying he should be “booted out”.

A statement from the youth wing of the party was also released yesterday saying they did not welcome the former Tory.

However, a Labour spokesman said: “What you’ve seen today is a decision from Christian Wakeford that shows his confidence in the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer, and we are very pleased to welcome him.”