How is Boris Johnson persuading Tory MPs to back him in today's no confidence vote?

Boris Johnson is today facing a vote of no confidence that could see him packing his bags and leaving Downing Street.

That's right, after months of Partygate stories tarnishing him and his party, backbench boss Sir Graham Brady announced he's received enough letters speaking out against the leader to trigger a vote.

Over half of Tory MPs will have to vote against him for Johnson to be ousted from office and it is expected that he will win but that shouldn't make the PM complacent so loyalists have dished out a 'fact sheet' making the case for his continued tenure.

The sheet - distributed to MPs ahead of tonight's vote - says backing Johnson will help MPs "put the distraction of the past months behind us".

Citing the cost of living crisis, ongoing war in Ukraine and post-Covid economic recovery, it continues: "It would be extremely harmful to the United Kingdom and the Conservative Party to launch a distracting, divisive and destructive leadership contest."

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"Instead," they promise, "we can choose to focus today on growing the economy, cutting taxes, making our streets safer, and busting the NHS backlogs.

It adds that Johnson cooperated with all investigations into Partygate and mentioned how great the vaccine rollout was. Getting Brexit "done" also gets a nod, as does Johnson's massive 2019 majority and the risk of benefiting Labour by showing how split the Tories are.

"The surest way to win is to show unity and focus on the issues that matter most to the people who put us in office," it says. "So back Boris Johnson today to move on and get on with the job."

Whether the pitch is enough to keep him safe or not is something we will only know this evening.

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