Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to be facing a serious fight to hang on to his job, as more backbench Conservative MPs submit letters of no confidence.

Johnson has been rocked by a series of damaging revelations about allegedly rule-breaking parties held at Downing Street during lockdown, when the rest of England was subject to tough restrictions on socialising.

Altogether, 54 Tory MPs need to send a letter of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee - which plays a central role in Conservative leadership elections.

So who exactly is Sir Graham Brady - and what is his role in Tory leadership contests?

READ MORE: What is the 1922 Committee and how do Conservative leadership elections work?

Who is Sir Graham Brady?

Sir Graham Brady is Conservative MP for Altrincham and Sale West, and the current chairman of the 1922 Committee.

First elected as an MP in 1997, Brady was previously active in student politics at Durham University and joined the Centre for Policy Studies - a right-wing think tank influential during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership - in 1990.

From 2004 to 2007, he was Conservative shadow minister for Europe under David Cameron. He resigned the post in protest at Cameron’s opposition to grammar schools.

In 2013, he voted against same-sex marriage citing concerns over religious freedom. He supported Leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

What is the 1922 Committee?

The 1922 Committee is a committee of backbench Conservative MPs. It meets every week when Parliament is sitting and acts as a caucus and organising vehicle for backbenchers.

Executive members and officers of the 1922 Committee are all chosen from among the ranks of backbench Tory MPs - in other words, those who don’t have a role in the cabinet, as junior ministers or as parliamentary private secretaries.

To trigger a Conservative leadership contest, 15% of Conservative MPs - which currently amounts to 54 - must send a letter of no confidence in the party leader to the chair of the 1922 Committee.

If a leadership contest is triggered, the chair will then draw up a timetable. MPs who intend to stand for the leadership will then seek nominations from their colleagues.

The various contenders will be subjected to a series of ballots among MPs before only two are left standing; rank-and-file Tory Party members will then vote to decide a winner out of these two candidates.

When did Sir Graham Brady become chairman of the 1922 Committee?

Sir Graham Brady has been chairman of the 1922 Committee since 2020, having previously occupied the role from 2010 to 2019.

Supporters of Boris Johnson tried to oust Brady from the role in July this year, but he was re-elected as chairman in what was reportedly a close contest.

It was claimed at the time that Johnson wanted to remove Brady as chairman of the 1922 Committee for his public criticism of lockdown measures and rebelliousness in Commons votes.

Sky News reported at the time that Sir Graham was considered “aloof” by some of the Tory MPs newly elected in 2019. Now the 2019 intake of MPs is understood to be at the centre of the so-called “pork pie plot” to remove Johnson.

Stay abreast of the latest on days out, nights out, shopping and more with our Daily What's On Email updates