British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces imminent no-confidence vote after Tory backbench revolt
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote of confidence in Parliament on Monday night, London time, after a backbench revolt by members of his own Conservative Party, Sir Graham Brady announced Monday morning. Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee that oversees Conservative leadership challenges, said 54 of the 360 Tory MPs had informed him by letter that they support a vote, surpassing the 15 percent threshold.
Brady said he had informed No. 10 Downing Street of the confidence vote on Sunday and Johnson's team agreed to hold the vote as soon as possible. Many senior Conservative lawmakers, including the majority of Johnson's Cabinet, announced they will back the prime minister in Monday night's secret ballot. Johnson "welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs," his office said, and the vote will be "a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on" after the months-long "Partygate" scandal.
If at least 180 Tory MPs vote against Johnson, he will be forced to step down and the Conservatives will begin choosing a new leader, with Johnson ineligible to stand for re-election. If Johnson wins the vote — as his predecessor, Theresa May, did in 2019 — he is immune from another confidence vote for another 12 months.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, prime ministers can "win" confidence votes and lose their job, the BBC's Nick Robinson notes, pointing out that May stepped down within six months of her winning vote and Margaret Thatcher did the same eight days after surviving a confidence vote. Johnson, he added, "will probably cling on and wait for something to turn up."
"Make no mistake: confidence votes are almost always bad news for political leaders," BBC News politics editor Chris Mason writes. Plenty of Conservative MPs — "including the rebels — expect Boris Johnson to win tonight. But an arithmetical win is not the same as a political one," and "what we will get tonight is an indisputable number: the number of Tory MPs who want the prime minister out. It's a number that will hang around Boris Johnson's neck for the rest of his time in office."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Katespiracy: is the media to blame?
Talking Point Public statement about cancer diagnosis followed weeks of wild speculation and conspiracy theories
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
'Restoring life to an ancient watershed'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas migrant law in limbo after Supreme Court OK
Speed Read The law has been blocked again, mere hours after the Supreme Court allowed the state to arrest migrants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Cubans rally for 'power and food' in rare protests
Speed Read The protests came after 18-hour rolling blackouts and food supply shortages
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why Trump cannot raise bond to avert asset seizure
speed read If the former president does not post the $454M bond in his civil fraud case by Monday, his assets can be seized
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Putin's preordained win marred by protests
speed read Voters participated in a silent protest — endorsed by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny — against the president
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published