Boris Johnson had no choice but to throw himself upon the mercy of Conservative MPs

The prime minister was more contrite than expected, fully aware of the threat to his position, writes John Rentoul

Today he did what he had to do to keep as many Tory MPs on his side as he could (AFP/Getty)

Boris Johnson understands the reality of his position – that he is prime minister only as long as Conservative MPs continue to support him. He knows that they came close to getting rid of him in January, and that he was saved more by luck than by anything he did.

He knows that there is now insufficient appetite for a change of leadership and that there is no alternative Tory prime minister who currently threatens his hold on the post. But he has a keener sense than many commentators that he needs to work constantly to keep persuading them that he is their best bet, and that a leadership challenge is not in their individual interests.

I expected Johnson to repeat his apology from a week ago, when he received a penalty notice for breaking lockdown law. Then he said he “respected” the outcome of the police investigation, with the unmistakable implication that he didn’t agree with it.