Johnson responds to blackmail claims

Asked about lawmaker William Wragg's claims that whips had threatened to withdraw public funds from the constituencies of lawmakers who are thought to want him out of office, Johnson told broadcasters he had "seen no evidence, heard no evidence to support any of those allegations", echoing an earlier statement from his office.

Wragg referred to the work of government whips, parliamentary enforcers whose job is to ensure Conservative lawmakers back government policy and stay in line.

Johnson avoided questions in the interview on a potential leadership contest after growing calls for him to step down over a series of scandals, including admitting he had attended a party at his Downing Street office at a time when Britain was under a strict COVID-19 lockdown.