Dewsbury MP says he is “saddened and disappointed” by the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Speaking exclusively to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Eastwood said: “I am saddened and disappointed that we have got to the situation where he has to resign.

"However in footballing terms when you lose not only the dressing room but the coaching staff it makes your position untenable. He has done the right thing in the end.”

Asked if Mr Johnson could have gone earlier but had been forced to act by the resignations of more than 50 ministers and had “clung on”, Mr Eastwood said he disagreed.

“When you think about Gordon Brown, that was ‘clinging on’. For weeks. The writing was on the wall.

"If you are Prime Minister of course you are going to look at ways of staying on but ultimately you have to come to the decision [that] you cannot run a Government effectively and he has come to that decision.

“I think he has made the right decision. I would like to thank him for everything he has done in his time as Prime Minister - getting Brexit done, a tremendous job with the vaccine roll-out.

"I wish him all the best for the future.”

Mr Eastwood was elected in the Conservative landslide at the 2019 general election with a majority of 1,561, gaining the seat from Labour’s Paula Sherriff.

Mr Johnson appointed him Trade Envoy for Pakistan in August last year – one of 10 new appointments to “boost British business”

Mr Eastwood has been consistent in the support of the PM in recent months.

In April he said Mr Johnson should not lose his job over the evolving partygate scandal. And last month he backed the PM in the no confidence vote.