Conservative chairman Oliver Dowden has submitted his letter of resignation after the party’s double by-election loss in Tiverton and Wakefield.
In a letter to Boris Johnson, the departing chair said he shared the feelings of Tory supporters who were “distressed and disappointment by recent events”.
But Mr Dowden stopped short of criticising the prime minister, saying his exit was “deeply personal” and said he was wanted to take responsibility for a “very poor run of results”.
He wrote: “We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office.”
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