LIBERAL Democrat activists have called on Maria Caulfield to sack Boris Johnson as Prime Minister in a confidence vote being held later today.

At least 54 Conservative MPs, including Worthing MP Tim Loughton and Bognor MP Nick Gibb, submitted letters to the party’s 1922 Committee calling for the Prime Minister to resign.

The secret ballot amongst all 359 Tory MPs will take place over two hours from 6pm this evening, with results announced later tonight.

Rebels calling for a new leader of the party need the support of 180 MPs to oust Boris Johnson from office.

The Liberal Democrats’ parliamentary candidate in Lewes, James MacCleary, has led the local party’s calls for the MP to vote to give Britain “strong leadership”.

He said: “When so many people in Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven and Polegate are suffering from spiralling bills and a cost of living emergency, we can’t have a Prime Minister just focused on saving his own skin.

“It is time Maria Caulfield finally does her patriotic duty and sacks Boris Johnson. Our country needs strong leadership and we can’t have any more of this nonsense.

“The Conservative Party is wasting precious time with these internal squabbles. We need an emergency tax cut, not a Westminster soap opera.

“If Maria Caulfield and her colleagues have the courage and decency to act months ago when the rest of the country all knew Boris Johnson had to go, then we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”

Maria Caulfield, who serves as health minister in Johnson’s administration, has not responded to an approach for comment and has yet to announce how she intends to vote in tonight’s confidence vote.

Dozens of Conservative MPs have issued public declarations of support for the Prime Minister ahead of the vote, with Cabinet ministers posting on social media that they will be backing Johnson in the poll.

Those announcing their endorsement of Boris Johnson included potential leadership contenders Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Ben Wallace.

However, former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt warned his Conservative colleagues that keeping the Prime Minister in office would wreck the party’s chances at the next general election.