Nadine Dorries has insisted that 97% of Tory MPs are behind Boris Johnson as the prime minister was hit with a further call to resign.
The culture secretary also told Sky News her cabinet colleague Sajid Javid was 100% behind the prime minister, after the health secretary sought to distance himself from Mr Johnson’s claim that Sir Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute paedophile DJ Jimmy Savile.
Ms Dorries said Mr Javid was “quite shocked” at how his comments on the prime minister’s allegation about the Labour leader had been reported.
Live updates: Pressure grows on Boris Johnson to quit
Mr Javid said Sir Keir deserved “absolute respect” for the job he did as director of public prosecutions and that it was important that the prime minister “clarified” his earlier accusation that Sir Keir had failed to prosecute Savile.
But asked about his intervention on Sky News, Ms Dorries said: “I spoke to Sajid Javid last night and he reassured me that he is 100% behind the prime minister. In fact, I think he’s quite shocked at how his comments have been interpreted.”
She said: “What you’re reporting about Sajid Javid turning his back on the prime minister is not true.”
Former minister Nick Gibb became the 14th Conservative MP to publicly call for Boris Johnson to resign as prime minister.