TookONDON ( Associated Press) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a no-confidence vote on Monday that could oust him from power, as discontent with his regime eventually threatens to topple a politician who is often invincible despite multiple scandals. appears to be.
The charismatic leader, renowned for his ability to connect with voters, has struggled to turn the page over recent revelations that he and his staff repeatedly held boozy parties that imposed COVID-19 on others. flouting restrictions.
Still, with no clear front-runner to succeed Johnson, most political observers think he will defeat the challenge and remain prime minister. But the fact that enough legislators are seeking votes represents a pivotal moment for him – and a narrow victory will leave him a spirited leader whose days may be numbered. It is also a sign of deep conservative divisions, less than three years after Johnson led the party to its biggest electoral victory in decades.
Since then, Johnson has pulled Britain out of the European Union and through a pandemic that has shaken Britain socially and economically. The vote comes as Johnson’s government is under intense pressure to ease the pain of skyrocketing energy and food bills.
Conservative Party official Graham Brady announced Monday that he has received letters for a no-confidence vote from at least 54 Tory legislators, enough to trigger the measure under party rules. He said voting would take place in the House of Commons on Monday evening, soon after which the result would be announced.
To stay in office, Johnson needs the support of a simple majority of 359 Conservative lawmakers. If he does not do so, the party will elect a new leader, who will also become the Prime Minister.
Johnson’s Downing Street office said the prime minister welcomed the vote “as an end to months of speculation and allowing the government to draw a line and move forward to meet the priorities of the people”.
Months of discontent erupted after a 10-day parliamentary break, including a long weekend of celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. For many, the four-day break was a chance to rest – but was no respite for Johnson, who was cheered on Friday by some onlookers who arrived at St. Paul’s Cathedral for a service in honor of the Queen.
Brady said some lawmakers who submitted no-confidence letters had asked him to hold them until after the anniversary weekend.
The previous prime ministers who survived the no-confidence vote were severely weakened. Theresa May, for example, won one in 2018 but never regained her authority and resigned within months, fueling a leadership contest won by Johnson.
His selection in July 2019 limited a rollercoaster journey to the top. He had held key positions, including Mayor of London and the UK’s Foreign Secretary, but he also spent time at political juncture after instigating himself. He kept bouncing back, showing an unusual ability to deflect scandal and connect with voters that, for many conservatives, cast doubts about his morality or judgment.
But concerns emerged late last month after an investigatory report criticized the rule-breaking culture inside the prime minister’s office in a scandal called “Partygate”.
Civil Service investigator Sue Gray describes alcohol-fueled fundraisers organized by Downing Street staff in 2020 and 2021, when pandemic restrictions prevented UK residents from socializing or even visiting relatives who died.
Gray said the “senior leadership team” should take responsibility for “failures of leadership and judgment”.
Johnson was also fined 50 pounds ($63) by police for attending a party, making him the first prime minister acknowledged for breaking the law while in office.
The prime minister said he was “polite” and took “full responsibility” – but insisted he would not resign. He urged Britons to “move on” and focus on healing the battered economy and helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.
But a growing number of Conservatives think Johnson now has an obligation that would doom him to defeat him at the next election, which should take place by 2024.
“Today’s decision is change or defeat,” said Jeremy Hunt, who ran against Johnson for the Conservative leadership in 2019 but has largely avoided criticizing him since then. “I will vote for change.”
Lawmaker Jesse Norman, a longtime supporter of Johnson, said on Monday that the prime minister had “presided over a culture of accidental law breaking” and left the government “unchanged and distracted”.
Norman wrote in a letter published on social media, “I am afraid that I cannot see any circumstances in which I can serve in a government under your leadership.”
Another Tory legislator, John Penrose, stepped down on Monday as the prime minister’s “anti-corruption champion”, saying Johnson had violated the government code of conduct with the behavior revealed by Partygate.
But senior ministers offered messages of support for Johnson – including some who will likely take part in the Conservative leadership contest that will begin if he is ousted.
“I have 100% support for the Prime Minister in today’s vote and I strongly encourage allies to support him,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the preferred foreign secretary to replace Johnson, wrote in a tweet.
If he wins Monday’s vote, Johnson is likely to face further pressure. The war in Ukraine, a post-Brexit turmoil with the European Union and rising inflation are weighing heavily on the government, and conservatives could lose special elections for two parliamentary districts later this month when Tory lawmakers are left facing a sex scandal. was forced by ,
But Johnson’s aide, Cabinet Minister Steve Barkley, said toppling the leader would now be “inevitable”.
“The problems we face are not easy to solve,” he wrote on the Conservative Home website, but the Conservatives have the right plan for dealing with them.
“To disrupt that progress would now be unforgivable for the many people who voted for us in the first general election, and who want to carry out the changes our prime minister has made for their communities.”
Jill Lawless, Associated Press
