A ballot to decide whether Boris Johnson will continue as prime minister is under way.

After months of scandal and growing disquiet on the backbenches, the threshold for the number of Tory MPs calling for a change in leadership was met last night.

It means that just over two-and-a-half years after he redrew the political map to win a landslide general election victory, the end of the Johnson could be just hours away.

A steady stream of backbenchers have made their discontent public since the publication of the Sue Gray report on May 25.

They have been joined today by senior figures including ex-Johnson loyalist Jesse Norman and former leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt.

The damning investigation into lockdown breaches in Number 10 found the PM oversaw a culture of boozing and rule-breaking which resulted in Downing Street becoming the most fined address in the country.

Mr Johnson was himself fined for breaking his own rules and a small minority of Tory MPs were calling for a confidence vote prior to the report being published.

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The PM had hoped a day of orchestrated apologies – to the Commons, the country and his party – would be enough to draw a line under the affair but, with an investigation over whether he deliberately misled parliament still ongoing, some Conservatives have decided enough is enough.

With half a parliamentary term left before a general election must be called, some on the Tory benches will have doubtless been spooked by recent polls showing a clear lead for Labour, forecasting a wipeout in battleground seats and confirming widespread anger over partygate.

If he loses, Britain will be on course to have its fourth prime minister in just six years and the opposition will likely call for an early general election.

Should he win, it’s possible he’ll reshuffle his cabinet next week in a bid to stamp his authority.

Under Conservative Party rules, a confidence vote on the leadership takes place when 15% of its MPs – in this parliament, the golden number is 54 – submit letters to the 1922 Committee.

The influential backbench body, which is chaired by Sir Graham Brady, keeps a private tally and facilitates an anonymous confidence vote once the threshold has been met.

Several Tories have publicly confirmed they have submitted letters, with many having done so several months ago, but the 1922 Committee is not obliged to reveal who called for a vote.

Mr Johnson has vowed to fight on, calling the vote a chance to ‘put an end to the media’s favourite obsession’ and appealing directly to his own party to get the 180 votes he needs to hang on.

Should he win narrowly, it’s unclear at what stage he might conclude he has lost too much support within his own party to carry on in the role.

Mr Johnson could theoretically win the vote by a handful of ballots but continue to face calls to resign because of the damage to his authority.

Theresa May won a confidence vote forced by Tory rebels in December 2018 but was never able to recover her position in her party, limping on for six month before announcing her intention to stand down.

Should Mr Johnson lose the confidence vote, the Tories will elect a new leader in a race he would be barred from standing in.

Under 1922 Committee rules, another confidence vote can not be called within 12 months.

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