Strange political times for the country
In normal circumstances, winning a vote of confidence in the House of Commons serves to reinforce a prime minister’s position and ensures that he or she can remain in office. It is fundamental to the UK’S constitution that the Government must be able to command the confidence of MPS otherwise an election usually follows.
However, it does not follow that a prime minister winning the vote is safe in the job. Margaret Thatcher won a confidence vote in 1990 and left No 10 days later after agreeing to resign as Tory leader and prime minister.
Last night, Boris Johnson followed suit, winning a confidence vote even as he prepares to leave Downing Street. A Conservative majority was never in doubt, though outsiders may wonder why MPS can voice confidence in a leader they have pushed out the door.
Mr Johnson used the debate to deliver a stout defence of his premiership and to remind Tory MPS why he was once considered the party’s greatest electoral asset. It was an indication of how his premiership might have developed had it not been blown off course by a series of disastrous missteps. Apart from negotiating a Brexit deal, his valedictory claim to have “got the big calls right” is at least debatable.
A few hours later, the field of contenders for his job was reduced further when Tom Tugendhat was eliminated. The final two to be put to the party membership will be decided by Conservative MPS tomorrow.
These are strange times. A speech at the Mansion House tonight by Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor, will confirm plans for a so-called Big Bang 2.0 to deregulate financial services in the City of London. These were drawn up by Rishi Sunak when he was in the Treasury before his resignation triggered the downfall of the Prime Minister.
It is a key policy for implementing post-brexit freedoms which should have been pursued months ago; and yet its architect is being publicly vilified by his colleagues in the Tory leadership race for the way he handled his brief.
Mr Zahawi, meanwhile, seems unlikely to survive as Chancellor beyond September 5 when a new prime minister is installed. The impact of this leadership contest on the good governance of the nation leaves a lot to be desired. The personal attacks and apparent animosity between the candidates are benefiting only Labour.