BOURNEMOUTH EAST MP Tobias Ellwood has reiterated his call for the Prime Minister to hold a vote of confidence, stating it’s been an “extraordinary 24 hours in parliament” and “it’s time to stop drinking the Kool-Aid”.

In light of the investigation into whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately mislead parliament, Mr Ellwood questioned whether he was the right person to lead the country.

His comments came as it was confirmed Boris Johnson will face a parliamentary investigation after MPs agreed to refer the Prime Minister over claims he misled Parliament about Downing Street parties during Covid lockdowns.

The Labour motion on Thursday passed without a vote after receiving no objections, with No 10 opting against tabling its own delay amendment.

The decision means MPs on the Privileges Committee will investigate whether Mr Johnson is in contempt of Parliament for misleading the Commons with his repeated denials of lockdown-busting parties in No 10.

The probe will only begin after Scotland Yard has completed its own inquiry into alleged coronavirus law breaches at the heart of Government.

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Mr Ellwood said: “It’s right we recognise the serious breaches of trust that partygate brought with the British people and the huge job there is to repair it if we are to win the next general election.

“I think today’s experience was a wake-up call, we must take parliamentary scrutiny seriously and we can’t gloss over accountability.

“The question is is the prime minister the right person to be leading or is it time for the baton to be passed on.

“For me it was the breach and absence of leadership and focus during that period, I think it’s very difficult for that trust to be repaired.

“Standards dropped hugely, he himself recognises and I made my position clear, it is not about my personal opinion, it is for many MPs currently troubled by attempts to mask the severity of what we are dealing with.”

Mr Ellwood said the Prime Minister should offer a vote of confidence after the elections in May.

Speaking of the Ukraine conflict being used as a distraction, Mr Ellwood said: “The idea we are so entrenched in a war, I think to say it would be a distraction is a bit of a fig leaf, it shouldn’t be used to distract us from this very important question the party must face.

“It is troubling all MPs, it is a duty of an MP to help the brand of the party and we need to keep our feet on the ground.”

In a blow to the Prime Minister, former minister Steve Baker, an influential mobiliser on the backbenches, told MPs the Prime Minister “should be long gone”.

Mr Baker, who was a prominent Brexiteer involved in ousting Theresa May, said: “Really, the Prime Minister should just know the gig’s up.”

William Wragg, Tory chairman of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, used a scathing speech to confirm he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson’s leadership.

“I cannot reconcile myself to the Prime Minister’s continued leadership of our country and the Conservative Party,” he told the Commons.