CRAWLEY MP Henry Smith has said he will support the Prime Minister in a confidence vote.

The threshold of 54 MPs submitting letters to the backbench 1922 Committee to force a vote on Boris Johnson’s leadership was passed yesterday, chairman Graham Brady said.

With a secret ballot of MPs scheduled for this evening, ministers and other MPs have been voicing their support for Mr Johnson as pressure continues to mount in the wake of the Sue Gray report.

The Argus: Henry Smith MPHenry Smith MP

Mr Smith said he will support the Prime Minister after taking “a moment to reflect on the past three years of Boris Johnson’s leadership”.

He said: “Whilst I have not agreed with every decision, indeed voting against several myself in the House of Commons, I believe the significant policies taken have been proven right:

“After almost four years of delay and deadlock, finally delivering the British people’s democratic decision to exit the EU, with over 70 trade agreements signed since and now record high investment in the NHS. 

 “A world leading Covid-19 vaccination programme that allowed the UK to re-open sooner than most other countries.

 “An international lead shown by the UK Prime Minister on both defensive and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine following Russia’s Putin regime aggressively invading that democratic, sovereign nation. 

 “Of relevance to Crawley constituency, over £21 million so far received in levelling-up funding to help boost job creation, business growth and economic recovery for our town.

“Tonight, I will be supporting the continuation of this important work and for parliamentary due process to properly conclude.”

Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is among those who will be ‘voting for change’ in an attack on Boris Johnson.

Mr Hunt, who stood against the Prime Minister in 2019, said “we are not giving the British people the leadership they deserve”.

But his comments provoked a furious response from Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries, who accused Mr Hunt of “duplicity” and claimed he was seeking to destabilise the country to serve his own ambitions for the top job.

Mr Hunt is viewed as a likely contender if there is another leadership contest, having made the run-off in 2019 against Mr Johnson.