British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will face a confidence vote by lawmakers in the governing Conservative Party later on Monday, June 6, 2022, the Chairman of the 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, told lawmakers.
“The threshold of 15% of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded”, he wrote in a note to Conservative lawmakers.
“In accordance with the rules, a ballot will be held between 1800 and 2000 today Monday 6th June 2022 – details to be confirmed. The votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made at a time to be advised.”
Chairman of the 1922 Committee, Graham Brady
What Could Happen?
Should Mr. Johnson lose the vote among the 359 Conservative lawmakers, the party will choose a new leader, who will also become Prime Minister. If he wins, Mr. Johnson can’t face another challenge for a year under current party rules.
While Johnson weathered many political storms, he has recently struggled to turn the page on months of ethics scandals, most notably over rule-breaking parties in government buildings during Covid-19 lockdowns in the UK. Revelations that the Prime Minister and his staff repeatedly flouted restrictions they imposed on Britain in 2020 and 2021, fueled outrage in the country.
PM Welcomes Vote
A Spokesperson for Mr. Johnson intimated that the vote of confidence will provide a chance to end months of speculation about the Prime Minister’s leadership.
“The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs (members of parliament) and will remind them that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force.”
Spokesperson for Mr. Boris Johnson
Opinion polls earlier conducted showed deep public disapproval over the scandal, with large majorities saying Mr. Johnson knowingly lied about “Partygate” and that he should resign.
Late last month (May 2022) a report by a Senior Civil Servant on “Partygate” slammed a culture of rule-breaking inside the Prime Minister’s No.10 Downing Street office.
The investigation by Civil Servant, Sue Gray, into lockdown parties revealed that gatherings were held by Downing Street staff members at a time when pandemic restrictions prevented UK residents from socialising or even visiting dying relatives. Gray said the “senior leadership team” must bear responsibility for “failures of leadership and judgment”. The Prime Minister, after the report said he was “humbled” and that, he took “full responsibility”, but insisted he would not resign. He urged Britons to “move on” and focus on Britain’s economy and the war in Ukraine.
Backing from Truss & Sunak Ahead of Confidence Vote
British Foreign Minister, Liz Truss said she was backing the Prime Minister in the confidence vote and “encouraged” lawmakers from their Conservative Party to support him.
Truss noted in a Twitter post that “The Prime Minister has my 100% backing in today’s vote and I strongly encourage colleagues to support him”, pointing out that “He has delivered on Covid recovery and supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. He has apologised for mistakes made. We must now focus on economic growth”. However, report is suggesting that Truss is considered a potential successor to Johnson.
Similarly, British Finance Minister, Rishi Sunak, also in a Twitter post stated that he backed Johnson’s leadership ahead of the confidence vote, suggesting that “From the vaccine rollout to our response to Russian aggression, the PM has shown the strong leadership our country needs. I am backing him today and will continue to back him as we focus on growing the economy, tackling the cost of living and clearing the Covid backlogs”.
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