A Tory MP has been publicly teased by his wife for taking a call from the Prime Minister after an afternoon of drinking while watching sport.

       Johnny Mercer, a former Defence Minister, received the call from Boris Johnson on Saturday, when there had been FA cup football and England rugby matches on.

       The MP’s wife Felicity Cornelius-Mercer tweeted at 9.18pm on Saturday that her husband was “so p----- he can’t remember what was said”.

       She joked she was preparing a follow-up tweet: “Thinking of winding him up tomorrow…I heard Johnny/Boris say….suggestions please.”

       It comes as MPs including outspoken critics of his premiership report being contacted by Mr Johnson as he attempts to persuade them not to trigger a leadership contest by submitting the necessary 54 letters to Sir Graham Brady, the 1922 backbench committee chairman.

       'Wives have a life of their own'

       In the cold light of day, Plymouth Moor View MP Mr Mercer, who had watched Plymouth Argyle lose to Chelsea and England lose to Scotland, posted: “In other breaking news, wives have a mind and a life of their own.

       “She’s on this nuts journey with me - the highs and many lows. She is more than entitled to take the p--- out of me/the PM/whoever she likes.”

       Mrs Cornelius-Mercer later tweeted:

       The phone call came after a week in which the number of MPs putting in letters or calling for the Prime Minister to stand down reached 15 and five aides in Number 10 quit, including his head of policy.

       Some MPs are pressing colleagues to hold-off putting in their letters until after the Metropolitan investigation into the Downing Street parties is complete as they believe Mr Johnson would survive a leadership election if MPs did not have the full findings.