Just when he thought it could not get any worse, Boris Johnson is facing the toughest week of his premiership yet.
Conservative MPs are mounting a mammoth rebellion against Covid measures, ministerial aides are on resignation watch and there is a crunch by-election triggered by the “sleaze” row.
All of this political drama is being played out against a backdrop of rumbling scandals and looming threats to Johnson’s leadership.
As one Tory staffer put it to HuffPost UK this morning: “It’s going to be f***ing carnage.”
Some Tory MPs have even discussed sending letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, in a bid to trigger a leadership contest.
They are said to be biding their time until the outcome of the by-election in North Shropshire on Thursday.
And after a torrid few weeks for the prime minister, his approval rating has plunged to an all-time low while Labour surged to a nine-point lead.
Here, HuffPost UK talks you through what to expect in a high-stakes week for the prime minister.
The Rebels
On Tuesday MPs will get to vote on Johnson’s new Covid-19 restrictions to curb the spread of the omicron variant.
They include working from home when you can, face masks in certain settings and what is being dubbed “vaccine passports” for large gatherings.
However, Tory MPs are in open revolt with some touring the airwaves and writing columns on why they will be voting against the measures.
Such is the anger within some quarters of the party, when health secretary Sajid Javid announced the measures in the Commons last week, he was met with calls to “resign” from his own colleagues.
A whopping 75 Tory MPs have so far indicated their opposition to some or all of the measures. The prime minister will likely need Labour Party support to get his measures through the Commons.
Fortunately for him, Labour leader Keir Starmer has confirmed his party will support the government in the vote.
Government sources suggested to the BBC the measures will be divided into three separate votes to quell the rebellion from Tories who particularly oppose Covid passes.
Either way, the potential rebellion could end-up being the largest of Johnson’s premiership.
Among those who have voiced concerns about the fresh restrictions are former cabinet ministers David Davis, Esther McVey, Dr Liam Fox, Greg Clark and former Brexit minister Steve Baker.
Baker confirmed he will vote against the government because the restrictions are “wrong” and “disproportionate”.
Meanwhile, senior Tory Brady wrote in the Telegraph: “There seems no let up to this kind of self-defeating, dystopian logic.”
The newspaper also reported that a quarter of the government’s team of ministerial aides are on resignation watch. At least ten parliamentary private secretaries are said to have formed a secret WhatsApp group to discuss how they will vote.
Bumpy By-Election
North Shropshire’s former Conservative MP Owen Paterson sparked a by-election when he stood down amid the so-called “sleaze scandal”.
No10′s attempt to save him from suspension - after he was found to have broken rules by lobbying the government - opened the floodgates to stories about MPs’ controversial financial interests.
In an extraordinary turn of events, Johnson was forced to u-turn and even dismiss suggestions Britain’s political system was corrupt during a press conference at the Cop26 climate change summit.
And while Paterson had a big majority of 23,000, the seat could be on a knife edge following the scandals that have engulfed the government - including sleaze, Downing Street lockdown parties and Johnson’s flat refurbishment.
New Covid-19 restrictions could also have an impact on how people decide to vote or if they turn-up to the polling booths on Thursday.
HuffPost understands that some Tory MPs are waiting to see the outcome of the by-election before deciding whether to hand in letters demanding a vote of no confidence in the prime minister.
Leadership Threat
The Sunday papers would have made a sorry read for Johnson with their speculation over who could replace him as Tory leader.
Question marks have even placed over whether he will be the one to lead the Conservative Party through the next general election.
The party machine has been known to move with ruthless efficiency to depose leaders when members grow unhappy.
Outriders for rival cabinet ministers were allegedly sounding out support last week.
Among those talked about as future leaders include foreign secretary Liz Truss and chancellor Rishi Sunak. Home secretary Priti Patel is a favourite with some MPs on the Tory right and the Sunday Times suggested she was “considering a run”.
Meanwhile, Steve Baker, arguably the most effective rebel on the Tory back benches, this weekend announced the relaunch of the Conservative Way Forward group to press for freedom, a smaller state and lower taxes.
Meanwhile, “close allies” of Theresa May are considering submitting letters of no confidence in the prime minister if they lose the by-election to the Lib Dems, according to the Sunday Times.
The Conservative Party’s rules state that at least 15 per cent of Tory MPs must write a no confidence letter to make a leadership challenge possible.
This figure currently equates to 54 MPs needing to submit a letter to 1922 chairman Brady.
The Scandals
There seems to be no end in sight for the scandals surrounding the government and in particular the famous road where Johnson lives.
Not only is the prime minister facing a probe into allegations of parties in No10 during lockdown, there are further questions over the luxury refurbishment of his No11 flat.
Simon Case, the most senior civil servant in Whitehall is investigating a number of claims that government staff held parties in the run-up to Christmas last year.
Some reports suggested he could report back by the end of the week, which could top-off a tough few days for the PM.
Meanwhile, Johnson also faces allegations that he misled his ethics adviser over what he knew about the controversial refurbishment of his No11 flat.
Lord Geidt, the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, has sought answers from the PM about the situation and could produce his findings this week - amid speculation he is considering his position.
The information commissioner has also now started an investigation into the cabinet office over its failure to disclose WhatsApp messages between Johnson and a Conservative donor.
All in all it looks set to be another dramatic week in British politics.
