Boris Johnson faced furious recriminations over his failure to sack Matt Hancock last night after the Tories were narrowly deprived of victory in the Batley and Spen by-election.
Labour overcame the odds to hold the seat by just 323 votes, providing a desperately needed boost for Sir Keir Starmer s leadership.
The disappointing result for the Conservatives prompted an immediate blame game, with the party s chairman pointing the finger at the former health secretary s affair.
Amanda Milling admitted that Mr Hancock s breaking of coronavirus rules by kissing a married aide was something that came up on the doorstep .
But angry backbenchers claimed the party could actually have taken the seat if the Prime Minister had sacked the minister when the news first broke.