Following a series of scandals that have shattered faith in his leadership, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a crucial Conservative Party confidence vote later on Monday. The vote was initiated by 54 of his Tory MPs.
After the so-called “Partygate” crisis, which saw him become the first serving UK prime minister found to have broken the law, the ailing UK leader has spent months struggling to save his grip on power.
If he loses, he will be compelled to resign as Prime Minister and head of the Conservative Party.
According to a damning internal investigation into the affair, he presided over a culture of Covid lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street that lasted late into the night and included a drunken brawl among personnel.
Johnson, who campaigned on a promise to “get Brexit done” and won a landslide election victory in December 2019, has resolutely refused to resign.
The 57-year-old has stated that he accepts responsibility for the fiasco and has referred to a reorganisation of No 10’s structure, while emphasising that he must get on with the job.
Johnson “welcomes the opportunity to make his argument to MPs,” according to a Downing Street official, and Monday’s vote is “a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on.”
Threshold has been reached.
Minutes before, Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative MPs’ backbench committee that monitors party leadership challenges, revealed that the threshold of 15% of Tory MPs demanding a confidence vote had been met.
“A ballot will be held tonight between 6pm and 10pm in accordance with the rules,” he said, adding that the ballots would be counted shortly afterward and an announcement made “at a time to be advised.”
Johnson was informed Friday night — as four days of national celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee came to a close — that the threshold for triggering a vote had been attained, according to Brady.
“We agreed on a timeframe for the confidence vote, and he shared my opinion… that the vote should take place as soon as possible, which would be today,” he continued.
Brady could not say how many letters of no confidence in Johnson he had received from Conservative MPs, but he did say that some of his colleagues had delayed sending their letters until after the jubilee celebrations.
‘Charade’
Johnson’s fate will be decided by secret ballot by the 359 Conservative MPs now in parliament, and if he wins — half the votes cast plus one — the ailing leader will not be challenged again for a year.
The Conservative Party, on the other hand, may amend its internal rules to allow for a new election sooner. If he loses, a leadership challenge follows in which he cannot stand.
For months, there has been speculation that Johnson’s leadership will be challenged, since support for him among Conservatives has dwindled.
As the “Partygate” tempest grew, many expected him to face a no-confidence vote early this year, but the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, and Johnson’s leadership response to it, bought him time.
However, the conclusion of a police investigation into the incident, which saw scores of his employees and officials punished for attending illegal gatherings during the pandemic, as well as the release of the internal study, revived the debate.
Jesse Norman, a Tory MP, was the latest to express his displeasure, writing Johnson a scathing letter detailing why he had lost faith in him and posting it online early on Monday.
“For you to prolong this charade by remaining in office not only insults the voters… it makes a dramatic change of government at the next election much more likely,” Norman wrote, listing a litany of flaws with his term.
The prime minister will battle and stand his corner with a very, very strong case,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Sky News.
However, public opinion polls show widespread opposition of “Partygate” and Johnson’s handling of the incident, with significant majority of respondents believing he lied about it on purpose and that he should resign.
During his tenure, the Conservatives have experienced multiple electoral reverses, including losing typically safe seats to the Liberal Democrats in by-elections and hundreds of councillors in early May local elections.
Later this month, the party is expected to lose two additional by-elections in southwest and northern England.
