‘Do you have confidence in your prime minister?’ The sound of silence is ominous for Boris Johnson

One MP’s awkward pause speaks volumes about the Tory party’s loss of faith in Boris Johnson, writes John Rentoul

Boris Johnson announces new straws for the camel’s back at a news conference on Wednesday (PA)

Do you have confidence in your prime minister? Chris Green, the Conservative MP for Bolton West, was asked this question three times in a radio interview yesterday. Each time he took a full five seconds to reply. My research into human conversation suggests that any pause that long constitutes “awkward”.

Especially when each time the answer was not “Yes”. The first time it was: “I’m very concerned about what the prime minister is doing.” The third time Green admitted: “The silence does speak volumes.”

Green is a serial rebel, but that is now true of so many Tory backbenchers that it sometimes feels as if Boris Johnson is a prime minister reaching the end of a long period of office, rather than one who took power just two-and-a-half years ago.