–PM needs the support of 180 party lawmakers to remain in office
By Laurie Laird
LONDON (MaceNews) – Embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a snap vote of confidence in the UK parliament Monday evening, putting his controversial premiership at risk.
The announcement came after at least 54 members – or 15% — of Johnson’s Conservative Party submitted letters of no-confidence to Sir Graham Brady, head of the parliamentary 1922 Committee, a grouping of so-called back benchers, or lawmakers who do not hold ministerial positions.
Rumours of a vote swirled over the holiday weekend, but the urgency of the vote caught many by surprise. Brady confirmed that many lawmakers delayed submitting no-confidence motions to avoid overshadowing Queen Elizabeth’s four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which ended Sunday.
The festivities occurred over a parliamentary recess, during which many MPs say they were lobbied by constituents dismayed at reports of raucous parties at the prime minister’s office and residence while the country endured Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.
Johnson and his wife were loudly booed by onlookers when attending a Jubilee event on Friday, providing MP’s a chilling reminder of the public’s frustration with the prime minister. Johnson was fined by police for breaking Covid laws, the first prime minister found to have broken the law while in office.
Despite the outpouring of frustration from Conservative MPs, deposing Johnson may prove an onerous task. A majority of party lawmakers – or at least 180 – must vote against Johnson to strip him of the premiership.
Under party convention, MPs cannot stage another confidence vote for 12 months should Monday’s vote fail, although Sir Graham hinted on Monday that that rule could be revisited. An array of top-ranking ministers has voiced support for the prime minister, via tweets and television broadcasts.
However, history has not been kind to prime ministers who have survived confidence votes. Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, won such a poll in 2019, but resigned six months later. The UK’s first female premier, Margaret Thatcher, lasted just eight days after prevailing in a confidence vote in 1990.
While a failure to gain a majority of party votes would remove Johnson as prime minister, a loss would not trigger a general election. Johnson could remain in office while the Conservatives organise a vote of party members, a process that stretched for two months after Theresa May resigned in 2019.
In that ballot, Johnson earned the support of more than two-thirds of registered Conservatives. As the leader of the UK’s biggest party becomes the head of government, Johnson ascended to the premiership based on the vote of just 92,000 party members.
Were Johnson to resign immediately, the premiership would likely pass to Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, a vocal supporter of Johnson. Johnson would not be under any obligation to resign his parliamentary seat, which could provide him a platform from which to provoke a future leader.
The next UK general election is not due until 2024, although the Conservative Party could bring a poll forward with the consent of a parliamentary majority. Recent polling has shown the opposition Labour Party to hold an approximately six-percentage point lead over the Conservatives.
The confidence vote comes two and a half years after Johnson – an enthusiastic supporter of leaving the European Union – led the Conservative Party to a landslide victory, campaigning on the pledge “To Get Brexit Done.”
But the series of scandals enveloping the prime minister – along with frustration at the rising cost of living – have taken a toll on Johnson’s popularity. Inflation hit an annual rate of 9% in April, topping that of most large, developed countries, and is forecast to top 10% in the months to come.