Boris Johnson to face no-confidence vote over ‘partygate’
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a no-confidence vote Monday that could oust him from power, as discontent with his rule finally threatens to topple a politician who has often seemed invincible despite many scandals.
If Johnson loses the vote among the 359 Conservative lawmakers, the party will choose a new leader, who will also become prime minister. If he wins, as seems more likely, he can’t face another challenge for a year under current party rules — though a narrow victory would leave him a hobbled leader whose days are likely numbered.
Regardless of the outcome, the fact that enough lawmakers are demanding such a vote represents a watershed moment for Johnson. It is also a sign of deep Conservative divisions, less than three years after Johnson led the party to its biggest election victory in decades.
Johnson’s renown as an election-winner has previously insulated him from the fallout of a growing number of scandals. But recently he has struggled to turn the page on revelations that he and his staff repeatedly held boozy parties that flouted the COVID-19 restrictions they imposed on Britain in 2020 and 2021.
Conservative Party official Graham Brady announced Monday that he had received letters calling for a no-confidence vote from at least 54 Tory legislators, enough to trigger the measure under party rules. “The threshold of 15% (of Conservatives in the House of Commons) has been passed,” Brady said. He said the vote would take place in the Commons on Monday evening, with the result announced soon after. Johnson’s Downing Street office said the prime minister welcomed the vote. “Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities,” it said.
Discontent that has been building for months erupted after a 10-day parliamentary break that included a long weekend of celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
Most political observers think Johnson will win the backing of more than 180 lawmakers and defeat the challenge. But he could still emerge severely weakened.
The last prime minister to survive a no-confidence vote was Theresa May in 2018.
She never regained her authority and resigned within months, sparking a leadership contest won by Johnson, with his selection in July 2019 capping a rollercoaster journey to the top.