It was a day of drama in Westminster yesterday. A Conservative MP switched sides to Labour; in the House of Commons, the ex-minister David Davis told the prime minister to resign; and there were claims that Conservative MPs were close to triggering a no-confidence vote.
But that threshold, which requires 54 Tory MPs to submit letters, has not been reached – yet. And now, a minister has said MPs are starting to “step back”. Conor Burns - the minister for Northern Ireland - said colleagues were waiting for the report into the No 10 lockdown parties.
Meanwhile, another MP said the defection of Christian Wakeford had done Mr Johnson a favour. "I don't think anything could have united us more than watching someone cross the floor like that," said Joy Morrissey, who, like Mr Wakeford, won her seat in 2019.
Our correspondent Iain Watson has the inside story of Mr Wakeford’s defection here. Meanwhile, our political editor Laura Kuenssberg says the PM’s future is uncertain - but Downing Street is not in control.

US President Joe Biden thinks Vladimir Putin will "move in" on Ukraine, but does not want "full-blown war". Asked at a news conference about the threat of a Russian invasion, he said: "My guess is he will move in, he has to do something." But he warned that the Russian leader would pay a "serious and dear price" for "testing" the West. Moscow denies planning to attack or invade - but has built up its forces.

A man has appeared at a special court in the Republic of Ireland charged with the murder of Ashling Murphy. He is Jozef Puska, 31, with an address in Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore. Mr Puska was heckled as he was taken from a Garda car to a special sitting of Tullamore District Court on Wednesday evening. The 23-year-old teacher was attacked while exercising beside a canal in Tullamore, County Offaly, just before 16:00 local time last Wednesday.

All the front pages focus on the future of the prime minister – with the Metro, the Mirror, and the Guardian, directly quoting Conservative MP David Davis who told Mr Johnson in the Commons yesterday: “In the name of God, go.” But the Express and the Mail use the same quote to urge Conservative Party unity. “In the name of God, grow up,” the Mail tells the “narcissistic rabble of MPs”. The Guardian says the PM is “clinging on”, the Financial Times says he has “bought time”, while the Times says the plotters have “pulled back from the brink”. Read all the front pages here.

A 13-year-old steered a car to safety after his mum fainted behind the wheel on the M4. Asked how he knew what to do, Hari, from near Cardigan in Ceredigion, said: "I was thinking about what my uncle said on the farm." Meanwhile, the UK is not the only place to have a recent cold snap. Snow has fallen in the Sahara Desert in Algeria - see the pictures here.

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