One person told The Telegraph that junior ministers are likely to “walk away” in broadcast interviews, as their senior Cabinet colleagues are likely to try to “get it” and refuse to go on the airwaves. “Most have already done their fair share of excruciating interviews – you may find out more with a dentist appointment or bereavement this week,” they said. Several Tory MPs also appear to have contacted the Whips’ Office demanding the Prime Minister make it clear that Mr Pincher must resign from parliament and asking them to guarantee they will not bring back the whip. “I think most of us sent a message demanding that he drop the whip,” said one backbencher. “Many of us have said he should step down completely, immediately.” The Prime Minister is under increasing pressure to explain how much he knew about claims against Mr Pincher before appointing him as deputy leader in February. Over the weekend, six new allegations emerged about the MP, who resigned from his government role on Thursday after allegations he abused two men at a private members’ club in London. Mr Johnson will face questions from a liaison committee of senior MPs on Wednesday, who are expected to ask him about his handling of the latest allegations against Mr Pincher and his appointment to the Whips’ Office. Also on Wednesday, in a new threat to the Prime Minister’s leadership, elections will begin to elect the executive of the 1922 committee of backbenchers. If the Tory rebels are voted in, they could change the rules that currently prevent it from taking place of another vote of censure for 12 months. The furor among cabinet ministers comes after Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, on Sunday endured a series of awkward television interviews about the prime minister’s knowledge of Mr Pincher’s behaviour.
