Boris Johnson is in "deep doo-doo" and may not lead his party into the next general election, a former Conservative MP has said.
Peter Duncan, who served as Shadow Scottish Secretary in the early 2000s, made the withering assessment of the Prime Minister ahead of his crucial appearance before the Commons.
Johnson will make his first public appearance since the leak of an email from his principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, which invited Downing Street staff to the gathering in May 2020 to “make the most of the lovely weather”.
Several witnesses claim Johnson and his wife, Carrie, attended the gathering but Downing Street has so far refused to comment.
Asked how much difficulty the PM was in, Duncan told BBC Radio Scotland: "I would describe it as deep doo-doo.
"The troubles started in October with Owen Paterson and the catastrophic misjudgement. What was required after that was a period of stability for the Johnson administration to recover.
"And what we had is anything but. We're in a period of significant trouble for the Prime Minister."
Duncan added: "I don't think anyone backed Boris Johnson's leadership because they wanted a smooth ride.
"Boris Johnson is someone who, up until his Premiership. even up until the last six months, had a reputation for having a connection with the electorate.
"But I think there was a feeling you are only ever two or three weeks away from disaster.
"I think it is quite difficult for Boris Johnson to navigate this. If he can get through this immediate period, May's elections will be crucial.
"But is is quite difficult to see him leading the party into the next general election."
With the public mood turning increasingly angry, two snap polls have found a majority now believe Johnson should stand down as Prime Minister.
A Savanta ComRes study found 66 per cent of British adults thought he should quit, with 24 per cent saying he should stay, while a YouGov survey for Sky News found 56 per cent believed he should go, with 27 per cent saying he should remain.
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