Tony Roe
BBC East Midlands political editor

With the newspaper headlines screaming "pork pie plot" - after stories of a meeting in the Rutland and Melton’s MP office to discuss the PM's leadership - we're in the Leicestershire Market town famous for the pork pie.

Earlier, 54 was the number of the day... the number of letters of no confidence needed to trigger a leadership contest. So we sat first in a cafe in Melton Mowbray (which serves up pork pie) aptly called Cafe 54a.

Nigel Keep, the owner, says people are talking about politics like never before. “In the coffee shop, on the bus, when I walk into town people talk to you about it when they’re not usually interested or bothered about politics.”

Asked if people were angry at the prime minister over drinks parties in the garden of No 10, he says: “Some say he’s done a fantastic job, which primarily he did in the early days, but can you forgive and forget?”

On the streets of the market town, support for the prime minister is hard to find

Glynn Cartwright says: "We were all in favour of Boris being PM because we felt he was a man of the people, but at the present moment it feels as though the laws, the regulation are not for him and his friends in London.”

For NHS worker Rebecca Collins it’s about trust, and she doesn’t trust any politician now. She is unvaccinated and says she faces the sack in April. She's angry and upset about it all.

“He’s telling us to do one thing and does another. To me it tells us he wasn’t that scared and was doing what he liked.”

Chris Mason
Political Correspondent

The currency of Westminster is information. And on days like this there is rather a lot of trading.

Amid the clamour and rattle of transactions of information - or, gossip - the language can get rather inflated. But make no mistake, this is a moment of extreme jeopardy for Boris Johnson.

There may not yet be the numbers for a confidence vote. And if there is, he may win it.

But remember this is a prime minister just two years on from delivering the biggest Conservative majority in a generation. It was at least possible, back then, after the turbulence of the Brexit years, that politics might be a little less dramatic than it had been.

Since then though, we have seen a pandemic with devastating consequences for our health, economy and liberty, the prime minister critically ill in hospital and now, the prospect of him being turfed out.

Image source, UK Parliament

Christian Wakeford’s defection from the Conservative Party to Labour "was a terrible mistake", a Tory MP has told the BBC.

Conservative MP Jake Berry said he thought Wakeford had "misjudged the mood of the parliamentary party" and of his constituents in Bury South.

Berry said he spent time campaigning for Wakeford ahead of the 2019 general election, which saw a number of seats in northern England switch from Labour to the Conservatives.

"If you look at the [Bury South] constituency, it has the largest Jewish population in the north of England," Berry told Politics Live. "I was out knocking on doors with him when they were saying, we cannot back Labour and it’s not a party that speaks for us because of anti-Semitism."

The Labour Party was dogged by allegations of anti-Semitism under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

Berry also said there was "a wellspring of support for our PM Boris Johnson" at the 2019 election.

"I don’t think that’s gone away and I think Christian has made a mistake," Berry said. "I think it’s slightly hot-headed of him."

Reality Check

The main focus of scrutiny of the PM has been on a May 2020 drinks party in the Downing Street garden.

So, what Covid rules were in place on that date?

The government guidance for England said "workers should try to minimise all meetings and other gatherings” and only "absolutely necessary participants should attend”.

The guidance suggested reducing “the number of people you spend time with in a work setting”.

On top of these guidelines, there were also a number of legal restrictions in place.

People could not leave their homes (or be outside the place they live) without a reasonable excuse, which included work (where you couldn't work from home).

So while anyone attending the party may have broken the law, it might be argued this would not apply to the prime minister himself, because Downing Street is where he lives.

More on this here.

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

David Davis' intervention was very significant because it was a genuine moment of House of Commons drama that had real power.

He is someone with a significant profile - a former cabinet minister and a prominient Brexiteer - and it will garner a lot of attention.

Although Davis has a network of allies in the Commons, he is not necessairly someone who would bring a huge number of people with him.

But it is a very significant moment to hear someone speaking with such clarity rather than with half-throated support.

And apart from anything else, it is a public sign of a well of unhappiness among another part of the parliamentary party, different to the disgruntled group of MPs elected in 2019.

After his mic drop moment in the House of Commons, former cabinet minister David Davis was chased down in the corridors of Parliament by the BBC's Carolyn Quinn.

She asked him why he decided to make his remark "in the name of God, go" to Boris Johnson during PMQs.

Davis pointed to the PM's interview yesterday, where he insisted he wasn't told the gathering in the No 10 garden on 20 May 2020 was a party. On that date, the country was under strict coronavirus restrictions on meeting up.

"I am afraid that is not what I expect of a leader," said Davis. "I have been supportive of him up until now, I voted for him.

"But I expect leadership and leadership means shouldering the responsibility, even when it is blame. And he didn’t do it."

The former minister and previous unsuccessful candidate for Conservative leader said he had not put in a letter of no-confidence.

But he added: “Yesterday’s interview was an attempt to escape responsibility and not to shoulder it and that’s a test of leadership for me.”

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

In the moments before PMQs started, the newest Labour MP Christian Wakeford was led towards the opposition benches as silence echoed from the government's side.

This Labour trophy was positioned carefully behind Sir Keir Starmer for the benefit of the cameras, his face covered with a union flag mask.

Of course, the PM was cheered on arrival by the packed government benches, but the silence was notable from large sections as Starmer asked if Johnson should have resigned as well as apologised to the Queen.

From the Labour frontbench, the party's deputy, Angela Rayner, made her point silently by waving goodbye to the prime minister.

Hand gestures were seen on the Conservative benches too, as Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and others seemingly mimicked the drinking of a bottle of beer, referring to accusations of lockdown rule-breaking levelled at Starmer.

But any recovery was short lived as the second bombshell fell - with Johnson's former cabinet colleague David Davies telling him to go

Support for a prime minister is usually gauged by the amount of noise generated on the government benches. This PMQs ended in silence.

That was a testy Prime Minister's Questions.

Boris Johnson had to answer difficult questions over parties in Downing Street when coronavirus restrictions were in place. Here's a recap of the key bits:

• Moments before the formal jousting began, Bury North MP Christian Wakeford was cheered by Labour MPs as he crossed the floor in the Commons after defecting from the Conservatives
• Sir Keir Starmer then accused Johnson of providing "absurd and unreliable defences" over the No 10 parties that continue to "unravel"
• The Labour leader asked Johnson if he was ashamed he didn’t resign over a Downing Street party held the night before Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021. But the Speaker interjected, saying the Commons does not bring up the Royal Family
• For his final question, Sir Keir accused the PM of "defending the indefensible" whilst Labour had been working on policies to help people with soaring energy costs
• In reply, Johnson renewed his apology for events in Downing Street and urged MPs to wait for the outcome of Sue Gray's inquiry into the parties
• Johnson said he was "intensely proud" of the government's record on taxes and "looking after people" during the pandemic
• SNP leader Ian Blackford said a reported plan to save the prime minister's job had become a “dog’s dinner”
• At the end of PMQs, Veteran Conservative backbencher and former Brexit minister David Davis made a dramatic call for Johnson to resign, telling him: “In the name of God, go.”

We told you earlier that former Brexit minister David Davis called Boris Johnson to stand aside by saying: "You have sat there for too long, for all the good you have done. In the name of God, go."

This is a reference to the Conservative MP Leo Amery, who used these words in May 1940 to call on Neville Chamberlain to resign over the botched "Norway campaign" at the start of the Second World War.

The phrase has a long lineage in British politics - Amery was himself paraphrasing Oliver Cromwell, who used it during a speech during the dissolution of so-called Long Parliament, external in 1653.

BBC Newsnight's Political Editor Nick Watt says this was an "extraordinarily significant moment" and that David Davis will have intended it to be "particularly devastating" to Boris Johnson, a history buff and biographer of Winston Churchill.

The Conservative party has lost an MP who won them a red wall seat.

Christian Wakeford won Bury South in 2019, after the constituency backed a Labour MP at every election since 1997.

The seat was won by a narrow margin of 402 votes - or a 0.8% majority., external

It was one of only 12 seats won by any party with majorities of less than 1% of valid votes cast.

Wakeford's defection to Labour today was announced just minutes before Prime Minister's Questions, with the timing calculated to cause maximum damage to Boris Johnson.

With Wakeford on the Labour bench, the prime minister has pledged to win the seat back.

Moments after former Conservative MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour it appears he was removed from a Whatsapp group for the newest Tory MPs.

The Guardian's political correspondent Aubrey Allegretti tweets this screenshot which seems to show MP Aaron Bell kicking Wakeford out of the chat.

MP Christian Wakeford wrote to Boris Johnson saying his defection to Labour is about much more than the prime minister's "leadership and the disgraceful way you have conducted yourself in recent weeks".

He says Britain needs a government focused on tackling the cost of living crisis and providing a path out of the pandemic that protects living standards and defends the security of all.

He says: "It needs a government that upholds the highest standards of integrity and probity in public life and sadly both you and the Conservative Party as a whole have shown themselves incapable of offering the leadership and government this country deserves."

Chris Mason
Political Correspondent

The prime minister appeared more bullish at PMQs this week than he did last week.

A week ago, we heard his apology for turning up to a drinks bash he claimed was a work event.

Today Boris Johnson sought to make the broader case for his premiership - beyond this current row.

He talked up his approach to vaccine delivery and Covid rules.

This matters, because the electorate that really matters now, Conservative MPs, are having to weigh up the Boris Johnson ledger.

For many, sitting in the negative column is all the partying and how the prime minister has handled the whole thing.

But plenty of them also agree with him on how he's handled the pandemic in its more recent stages - the booster programme and avoiding imposing more draconian restrictions in England over Christmas and new year.

Prime Minister's Questions has ended and MPs are filing out.

Boris Johnson has now begun giving a statement on Covid restrictions in England.

Plan B measures - including face masks and Covid passes - are due to expire on 26 January.

You can follow our coronavirus coverage here while we stay with politics.

Chris Mason
Political Correspondent

That was a missile from a former cabinet minister: David Davis, a former Brexit Secretary, a former Europe Minister under Sir John Major.

He calls publicly for the prime minister to resign, to his face. Oooof.

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

A defection is a rare thing. A coup for Labour. A temporary triumph for Keir Starmer.

There were whispers that Christian Wakeford was spotted talking to a former Labour MP over drinks this week. A few murmurs that he might be thinking about taking such a dramatic step. But for it to happen, to see that crossing the floor moment, it is unusual indeed. Traditionally a defection can in fact unite the party who the MP has left behind - it’s so drastic.

But the Wakeford departure adds to the real sense of chaos in SW1 today. And the reaction among his now former colleagues elected in 2019 may not follow that traditional path. I’m told, although it's not been confirmed, that Wakeford was one of the MPs who had some brutal words with the government whips last night. Their actions so far seem to be backfiring.

The PM was, unlike yesterday, bullish at the despatch box today. An MP who has been wobbling just got in touch to say it was a great performance. But the words from David Davis, the former cabinet minister, have just massively upped the ante again, calling for Johnson to go. For such a prominent and well known MP to add his voice is a huge moment. Those comments and that defection are symbols of how little control Downing Street now has.

The next hours and days are a real test to see if Boris Johnson is able to get that back.

Veteran Conservative backbencher David Davis dramatically calls for Boris Johnson to resign, telling MPs he expects leaders to take responsibility for their actions.

"In the name of God, go", he adds.

Image source, UK Parliament

Like Labour leader Keir Starmer, the SNP's leader in the Commons, Ian Blackford, has used his questions to grill the prime minister over his conduct when Covid rules were in force.

Speaking a few minutes ago, he referenced a reported plan to save the prime minister's job, dubbed Operation Big Dog.

"This week was supposed to be Operation Big Dog, but it's become Operation Dog's dinner," Blackford said

He said "we've had more damaging revelations that Parliament has been mislead" and called the PM's excuses "ludicrous".

The PM's defence - that he wasn't warned about a rule-breaking party in Downing Street in May 2020 - was "absolutely pathetic", Blackford said.

The PM says the people of the UK trust his government. He cites the vaccination programme as an example of this trust and pays tribute to the NHS.

Chris Mason
Political Correspondent

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is earning his lunch today.

Constantly on his feet attempting to maintain order - threatening to chuck people out of the chamber, trying to keep a lid on the bubbling atmosphere, trying to ensure people stick to the conventions of the House of Commons.

It reminds me of some of the exchanges during the most angry stages of the Brexit debates - albeit with a new man in the chair.

Sir Lindsay imposes himself when necessary, but doesn't go for the florid, longer winded contributions so often associated with his predecessor John Bercow.

Bury South MP Christian Wakeford is sitting behind Sir Keir Starmer having defected from the Conservatives to Labour.

Starmer earlier welcomed Wakeford to his benches, saying: "The Labour Party has changed and so has the Conservative Party. He and anyone else who wants to build a new Britain built on decency, security ... is welcomed in my Labour Party."