Johnson allies insist ‘grownups’ in charge of new team at No 10

Allies of Boris Johnson have insisted that "grownups" are now in charge of his operation as he heads into critical week for his beleaguered premiership that could see him face a confidence vote and the threat of further damaging revelations.

Tory MPs said Johnson may have bought some time by bringing a new team into No 10. One major Conservative donor, Alexander Temerko, told the Guardian that the prime minister should now take the opportunity to "purge" the cabinet of disloyal leadership rivals.

However, critics of Johnson's leadership said they thought the number of letters of no confidence in the prime minister was now not far off the 54 necessary to trigger a ballot on his premiership.

"It's really hard to know, but I'm pretty sure the numbers are in the 40s, so it's only a small surge that could take it over the line," said one former cabinet minister. "Having said that, he may well survive the vote itself. There are people doing that calculation, saying they'll hold off until they think he'll lose."

Johnson is also facing the possibility of more revelations from Dominic Cummings, his former senior adviser. Cummings, who revealed details of some of the No 10 parties, is said to be planning to raise further questions this week about the furore over the funding of his £112,000 flat refurbishment initially funded through a loan from a Tory donor. A report in the Sunday Times also said the prime minister's wife was tiring of the pressure they are both under.

More than 15 MPs have called on Johnson to resign, about half of whom have publicly confirming they have submitted letters of no confidence. On Sunday, Mark Harper, a former chief whip and major sceptic of Covid rules, gave a scathing assessment of the prime minister's conduct, saying: "No 10's repeated denials, changing stories and drift resulting from the scandal around unlawful lockdown parties have led to many of my constituents questioning the prime minister's honesty, integrity and fitness for office. These views now appear to be widespread across the country."

He added: "Conservatives still have so much to offer to our country, so it's vital for Conservative MPs to consider all the options necessary to get our party back on track."