Some Conservative MPs in northern England are growing increasingly frustrated by the negative newspaper headlines, high profile U-turns, and tax rises from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office.
The Conservatives won seats in lower-income parts of England that they had never won before, thanks to Johnson's promise to "level up" the country. It was a result that was delivered by voters who supported his vision.
There is concern that the party has done a lot of damage to its reputation, following bungled announcements on several policies, including railways and the environment, as well as a sleaze row involving a Conservative grandee, which dominated headlines for weeks and underscored existing tensions between younger and older
Conservative MPs have been frustrated by the poor communication and insensitivity of the government to issues that disproportionately affect voters in poor parts of northern England.
'Not as angry as disappointment'.
Dozens of Conservative MPs refused to support the changes to social care because they would force people to sell their homes to pay for it.
The Conservative who refused to support the bill told Insider that it could result in poorer elderly people having to sell their homes.
It's probably a duck if it looks like one. It doesn't sound right. A lot of homes in the north are not worth much.
The interests of Conservative MPs with seats in northern England are represented by the Northern Research Group. The identities of the two MPs are known to Insider.
They said that Johnson's decision to commit a further £90 billion of public spending on railways should have positive headlines.
The prime minister faced intense criticism for his decision to cancel most of the section of the high-speed rail line in northeast England.
The MP told Insider that there was a lot of anger over how the rail announcements were handled.
It was a really good news story which turned into something else.
The Environment Bill was a third example. The amendment that would have placed a legal duty on water companies not to pump sewage into rivers was rejected by the government and forced into an embarrassing climbdown.
The first MP told Insider that there was a lot of good stuff in the bill. What headlines did we get for it? The MPs voted to pump shit into the rivers.
It's weird to be linked to high taxes.
Many of Johnson's MPs elected to northern seats in the upcoming year share his social vision, but not his economic values.
Chancellor Sunak is said to privately oppose Johnson's insistence on tax rises and preference for big state spending, and many MPs share his view.
"It's weird to be linked to a party that has high taxes," said the elected member of parliament.
A professor at King's College London told Insider that tensions over taxes and state spending were inevitable given the broad coalition within the parliamentary Conservative party since Johnson won the general election.
Menon said there were genuine differences of opinion about economic policy.
Johnson created a social-values coalition. There are going to be problems if you're talking about specifics of economic policy.
Johnson's leadership is not in danger. Many of the people who won seats in the last election know that they wouldn't have been elected if it wasn't for Johnson's leadership.
His leadership could face a sterner test if he doesn't deliver on his promises soon.
