British PM Boris Johnson faces vote of no-confidence
Loading...
| London
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a no-confidence vote Monday, June 6, that could oust him from power, as discontent with his rule finally threatens to topple a politician who has often seemed invincible despite many scandals.
The charismatic leader renowned for his ability to connect with voters has recently struggled to turn the page on revelations that he and his staff repeatedly held parties that flouted the COVID-19 restrictions they imposed on others.
Still, with no clear front-runner to succeed Mr. Johnson, most political observers think he will defeat the challenge and remain prime minister. But the fact that enough lawmakers are demanding a vote represents a watershed moment for him 鈥 and a narrow victory would leave him a hobbled leader whose days are likely numbered. It is also a sign of deep Conservative divisions, less than three years after Mr. Johnson led the party to its biggest election victory in decades.
Since then, Mr. Johnson has led Britain out of the European Union and through a pandemic, both of which have shaken the U.K. socially and economically. The vote comes as Mr. Johnson鈥檚 government is under intense pressure to ease the pain of skyrocketing energy and food bills.
Conservative Party official Graham Brady announced Monday that he had received letters calling for a no-confidence vote from at least 54 Tory legislators, enough to trigger the measure under party rules. He said the vote would take place in the House of Commons on Monday evening, with the result announced soon after.
To remain in office, Mr. Johnson needs to win the backing of a simple majority of the 359 Conservative lawmakers. If he doesn鈥檛, the party will choose a new leader, who will also become prime minister.
Mr. Johnson鈥檚 Downing Street office said the prime minister welcomed the vote as 鈥渁 chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people鈥檚 priorities.鈥
Discontent that has been building for months erupted after a 10-day parliamentary break that included a long weekend of celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II鈥檚 Platinum Jubilee. For many, the four-day holiday was a chance to relax 鈥 but there was no respite for Mr. Johnson, who was booed by some onlookers as he arrived for a service in the queen鈥檚 honor at St. Paul鈥檚 Cathedral on Friday.
Mr. Brady said some lawmakers who submitted no-confidence letters had asked for them to be held back until after the jubilee weekend.
Previous prime ministers who survived no-confidence votes emerged severely weakened. Theresa May, for instance, won one in 2018 but never regained her authority and resigned within months, sparking a leadership contest that was won by Mr. Johnson.
His selection in July 2019 capped a rollercoaster journey to the top. He had held major offices, including London mayor and U.K. foreign secretary, but also spent periods on the political sidelines after self-inflicted gaffes. He kept bouncing back, showing an uncommon ability to shrug off scandal and connect with voters that, for many Conservatives, overshadowed doubts about his ethics or judgment.
But concerns came to a head after an investigator鈥檚 report late last month that slammed a culture of rule-breaking inside the prime minister鈥檚 office in a scandal known as 鈥減artygate.鈥
Civil service investigator Sue Gray described alcohol-fueled bashes held by Downing Street staff members in 2020 and 2021, when pandemic restrictions prevented U.K. residents from socializing or even visiting dying relatives.
Ms. Gray said the 鈥渟enior leadership team鈥 must bear responsibility for 鈥渇ailures of leadership and judgment.鈥
Mr. Johnson also was fined 50 pounds ($63) by police for attending one party, making him the first prime minister sanctioned for breaking the law while in office.
The prime minister said he was 鈥渉umbled鈥 and took 鈥渇ull responsibility鈥 鈥 but insisted he would not resign. He urged Britons to 鈥渕ove on鈥 and focus on righting the battered economy and helping Ukraine defend itself against a Russian invasion.
But a growing number of Conservatives feel that Mr. Johnson is now a liability who will doom them to defeat at the next election, which must be held by 2024.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 decision is change or lose,鈥 said Jeremy Hunt, who ran against Mr. Johnson for the Conservative leadership in 2019 but has largely refrained from criticizing him since. 鈥淚 will be voting for change.鈥
Lawmaker Jesse Norman, a longtime Mr. Johnson supporter, said Monday that the prime minister had 鈥減resided over a culture of casual law-breaking鈥 and had left the government 鈥渁drift and distracted.鈥
鈥淚 am afraid I can see no circumstances in which I could serve in a government led by you,鈥 Mr. Norman wrote in a letter published on social media.
Another Tory legislator, John Penrose, quit Monday as the prime minister鈥檚 鈥渁nti corruption champion,鈥 saying Mr. Johnson had breached the government code of conduct with the behavior revealed by partygate.
But senior ministers offered messages of support for Mr. Johnson 鈥 including some who would be likely to run in the Conservative leadership contest that would be triggered if he is ousted.
鈥淭he Prime Minister has my 100% backing in today鈥檚 vote and I strongly encourage colleagues to support him,鈥 Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, one of the favorites to succeed Mr. Johnson, wrote in a tweet.
If he wins Monday鈥檚 vote, Mr. Johnson is likely to face more pressure. The war in Ukraine, a simmering post-Brexit feud with the EU, and soaring inflation are all weighing on the government, and the Conservatives could lose special elections later this month for two parliamentary districts, called when incumbent Tory lawmakers were forced out by sex scandals.
But Cabinet minister Steve Barclay, a Mr. Johnson ally, said toppling the leader now would be 鈥渋ndefensible.鈥
鈥淭he problems we face aren鈥檛 easy to solve鈥 but Conservatives have the right plan to tackle them, he wrote on the Conservative Home website.鈥淭o disrupt that progress now would be inexcusable to many who lent their vote to us for the first time at the last general election, and who want to see our prime minister deliver the changes promised for their communities.鈥
This story was reported by The Associated Press.