LONDON: UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, one of the senior-most Cabinet ministers and seen as a contender for the top job, on Monday came out fighting in favour of his boss as it was announced that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote of confidence over the partygate scandal.
The Indian-origin finance minister has joined the bulk of the Cabinet to very publicly back Johnson in the vote of Conservative Party MPs later on Monday, which could trigger a leadership contest if as many as 180 Tory members of Parliament vote against the Prime Minister.
The frontrunner in the rebellion has emerged as former UK Foreign and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has called on the party to vote for change in the secret ballot but it is expected that Johnson may just survive Monday's vote.
"From the vaccine rollout to our response to Russian aggression, the PM has shown the strong leadership our country needs," Sunak said in a tweet, effectively ruling himself out of a leadership challenge, at least for the moment.
"I am backing him today and will continue to back him as we focus on growing the economy, tackling the cost of living and clearing the Covid backlogs," he said.
Sunak's intervention came soon after UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, also seen as a contender for party leader and UK PM, took to Twitter to say that Johnson had her "100 per cent backing in today's vote" and strongly urged colleagues to support him.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, another senior Indian-origin Cabinet member, has previously similarly called on rebels to back Johnson to focus on other pressing issues, including the cost-of-living crisis and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
But the momentum of discontent has been gradually building up in the background, which saw Johnson's anti-corruption tsar, Tory MP John Penrose, resigning over Johnson's response to the Sue Gray report of serious leadership failures over the COVID law-breaking parties at Downing Street.
"I'm sorry to have to resign as the PM's anti-corruption tsar but, after his reply last week about the ministerial code, it's pretty clear he has broken it," he tweeted on Monday.
"That's a resigning matter for me, and it should be for the PM too," he said.
The resignation piled further pressure from the rebels, which are seen to be led by Jeremy Hunt who contested the last leadership battle in 2019 and lost to Johnson.
"The Conservative Party must now decide if it wishes to change its leader. Because of the situation in Ukraine this was not a debate I wanted to have now but under our rules we must do that," said Hunt.
"Anyone who believes our country is stronger, fairer and more prosperous when led by Conservatives should reflect that the consequence of not changing will be to hand the country to others who do not share those values. Today's decision is change or lose. I will be voting for change," he said.
Others believed to be lining up for a leadership race include Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt and Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat.
UK Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi is seen as a kind of compromise candidate should it come to a vote, but has not indicated his intention to contest openly.
While backbench anger has grown since Gray published her official report into lockdown parties within government offices last month, the Cabinet has rallied to the PM's side.
Ahead of the vote, Johnson has written to his backbenchers to drum up their support and is also expected to address them privately ahead of the vote in the evening.
The no-confidence vote was announced by Sir Graham Brady, who chairs the powerful 1922 Committee of backbench MPs that organises the contest.
He confirmed that Boris Johnson was informed on Sunday that the required threshold to trigger the vote - 15 per cent of the party or 54 MPs - had been met.
If Johnson wins Monday's vote, under current Tory party rules he will be safe from a backbench challenge for at least 12 months.
It had prompted speculation over the weekend that those keen to replace him as party leader would prefer a no-confidence vote to take place later this month, after two important by-elections on June 23.
However, even if he wins the vote this time, a large number of backbenchers voting against Boris Johnson could set the clock ticking on his leadership as it did with his predecessor Theresa May.