CONSERVATIVES in Colchester said they are “pleased” Boris Johnson has decided to step down, a leading councillor said.

Darius Laws, leader of the Conservative Group on Colchester Council, said Mr Quince had been “thrown under the bus” by the PM.

He said: “I am obviously pleased to see Boris has recognised he needs to do the dignified thing for the sake of the country and for the sake of the Conservative party.

“I am pleased he’s come to that conclusion and that is the view of the Colchester Conservative councillors I have spoken to.

“Boris was viewed by many as a cat-like character who has many lives.

“For me, throwing Will Quince – who was a loyal public servant – under the bus was a trigger point.

“For me, Boris isn’t a cat, he’s actually Paul Gascoigne in the World Cup Italia ’90, he’s got a second yellow card and he cannot go to the final.”

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Mr Laws said the Conservatives are still in pole position to deliver what the people of Colchester want.

“The Government’s direction of travel in terms of wider policy is actually OK,” he said.

“We are, of course, Conservatives by nature, we knock on doors and we listen to people and I think most people in Colchester are centrist.

“They want to have money in their pockets, freedom and choice, and access to good public services – the Conservatives can deliver that.”