The Conservatives’ Alex Burghart has claimed that the Prime Minister has “clearly misled Parliament” and should resign.

He told the Camilla Tominey Show on GB News: “He’s clearly misled Parliament. In February, Kemi asked him, you’ll remember. Kemi asked him, at the dispatch box, did the security vetting of Peter Mandelson throw up anything to do with his links with Jeffrey Epstein?

“The Prime Minister said yes, and that strongly suggests that he had seen the security vetting, which he now claims he hasn’t seen.

“So, problem number two is that even if he didn’t know anything about it, which I think is very unlikely, but even if he didn’t know anything about it, Downing Street have admitted that on Tuesday night he was told, and under the rules of the House of Commons he has a very solemn duty to come to the House whenever anything is serious this happens and admit that he’s made a mistake.

“On Wednesday, he didn’t do that. On Thursday, he didn’t do that. And the story only came out on Thursday night because investigative journalists brought it out. So by any stretch, he has misled the House. He didn’t correct the rules. He has broken the rules of the House. He’s in very serious trouble.”

He added: “He should resign because one way or another he has clearly misled the House. But I also think he should resign because of all of the disastrous things he’s done to our country in the time that he’s been Prime Minister.

“This is not so much the straw that breaks the camel’s back as the anvil that breaks the camel’s back, but I think we’ve all had enough of him. It’s time for him to go.

“It’s very clear that there’s a large number of Labour MPs who are furious with the Prime Minister. They feel very badly let down, and I don’t think that they want his premiership to continue. And I think it’s becoming a question of when and not if.

“The Conservative Party, who desperately want to see the back of him, is doing all it can to pile on that pressure. And it’s been the work of Kemi and her team that has exposed a lot of the things that the Prime Minister has got wrong, not just on Mandelson, but on a host of other issues as well.

“So look, we’re ready to work with Labour MPs on this. But as you’re absolutely right, Labour’s got a large majority. It’s going to be down to whether that pack moves.”

Asked about possible leadership candidates, he said: “What’s happening here is that Keir Starmer has run out of road. He doesn’t deserve to be Prime Minister anymore, and it’s our job to make him see sense and get out.

“If that happens, the Labour Party will have to decide who comes next. I don’t think that they’ve got anyone of any quality. I don’t think that they’ll be able to sort of magic somebody up who can fix the mess they’ve already made. But the fact is that Keir Starmer doesn’t deserve to be Prime Minister any more.”