Two Norfolk MPs have quit as ministers within minutes of each other, as the mass exodus from Boris Johnson's government continues.

Brandon Lewis, the MP for Great Yarmouth and Northern Ireland secretary, was the first to announce he was standing down, saying he no longer believed the values of "honesty" and "integrity" were being upheld by the prime minister.

Moments later, George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk and science minister, said he no longer supported Mr Johnson's leadership, saying the "chaos" in Number 10 and the "abandonment of the ministerial code" were "insults to the Conservatism I stand for".

He said the government's actions "could not go on" and that "enough is enough".

%image(14363572, type="article-full", alt="George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk and science minister, said that the actions of Boris Johnson's administration are "insults to the Conservatism I believe and stand for".")

The letter he posted on Twitter this morning does not explicitly state he is resigning, but sources in Westminster are reporting that he is.

Mr Lewis' resignation, which was also announced on Twitter, came hours after he and a group of fellow ministers reportedly visited Downing Street on Wednesday evening to urge the prime minister to step down.

Mr Johnson has resisted those calls, insisting he intends to stay in the job, despite seeing the resignations of dozens of MPs from ministerial and other government roles since Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid quit as chancellor and health secretary respectively, on Tuesday evening.

The resignations follow months of unrest in the Conservative party and have been triggered by anger at the prime minister's handling of allegations of inappropriate behaviour by deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

In his resignation letter, Mr Lewis described his decision as a matter of "deep personal regret" to leave the government but said he believed the prime minister no longer upheld the values of "honesty, integrity and mutual respect".

%image(14363573, type="article-full", alt="Brandon Lewis' resignation letter")

Mr Lewis has been seen as one of the his most loyal ministers.

He was first elected as MP for Great Yarmouth in 2010 and went on to rise in the ranks to become appointed the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on February 13, 2020.

He has also served as Tory party chairman.

Meanwhile, Jerome Mayhew, the MP for Broadland, has said that he no longer has confidence in the PM.

He told Radio Norfolk: "Irrespective of personal views of the performance of the prime minister, there is a tipping point, now is a totally different game.

"Government is untenable, we've had 50 ministers resign in last 48 hours. It is quite clear a signal to the PM that the administration is over and we need to have an orderly transition, but that message currently doesn’t seem to be getting through to prime minister."

The Broadland MP has confirmed he has submitted a letter to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee.

Mr Mayhew, who was elected in 2019, said it was time for Mr Johnson to go.

He said it was important that the right procedures were set in motion so a replacement could be swiftly selected.

There had been speculation the powerful 1922 Committee group of backbenchers was about to change its rules to enable a fresh confidence vote in Mr Johnson.

But such a change is on hold, with elections under way to form a new executive of the committee.

The results are due on Monday and, if Mr Johnson remains in power, the executive may look then to change the rules to allow the Conservatives to hold s second confidence vote on the prime minister.

%image(14363575, type="article-full", alt="North West Norfolk MP James Wild, who says there are lessons top be learned from a report which warns the government's Bounce Back loans scheme could cost the taxpayer billions")

And North West Norfolk MP James Wild also added his voice to those saying Boris Johnson should quit.

He said: "Having publicly backed the prime minister in the vote of confidence, it is very disappointing that the result did not lead to changed approach and the restoration of the highest standards in public life that my constituents and the British people rightly expect.

"Events in recent days and the response have underlined this starkly and regrettably my conclusion is that this situation cannot continue for the good of the country.

"Enough is enough. We need a change of leadership to restore public trust in democracy and good governance."