Boris Johnson thinks he has the right to decide when he leaves office – but does he?

If he chooses not to move on, it’s unclear exactly how he could be removed, writes Andrew Woodcock

Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings predicts ‘carnage’ if he is allowed to stay in No 10 (Getty)

It's difficult to argue with Sir John Major’s judgement that Boris Johnson’s plan to remain prime minister until the autumn is unsustainable.

Contrary to Johnson’s claim over recent days, he does not owe his position as PM to a “mandate” from the 14 million people who voted Tory in 2019. Those votes were for individual MPs, part of whose job as representatives of their constituents in parliament is to choose a prime minister.

And he is not prime minister merely by virtue of being leader of the largest party in parliament.