- The vote will take place later on Monday
- “Partygate” worsens the mood in the Conservative Party
- Coordinated cabinet support campaign
LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a no-confidence vote Monday after a growing number of ruling Conservative MPs questioned the British leader’s authority following a “party door” scandal.
Johnson, who won a landslide election victory in 2019, is under increasing pressure after he and officials staged alcohol-fueled parties in the heart of power when Britain was under strict quarantine to deal with COVID-19.
Appearing at events to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s platinum anniversary in recent days, he was greeted with a chorus of taunts, boos and some muffled applause from the audience.
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On Monday, formerly inaccessible Johnson was also attacked by former ally Jesse Norman, a former junior minister who said the incumbent prime minister had insulted both the electorate and the party. Read more
“You are leading a culture of accidental violation of 10 Downing Street laws in connection with COVID,” he said, adding that “the government has a large majority, but no long-term plan.”
Norman is one of more than 25 conservative lawmakers who say the 57-year-old Johnson has lost his power to rule Britain, which faces a recession, rising prices and Monday’s chaos on a trip to the London capital caused by strikes.
“The threshold of 15% of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the Conservative leader has been exceeded,” said Graham Brady, chairman of the party’s 1922 party committee, which represents ordinary Conservative MPs. .
Brady said the vote will take place between 18:00 and 20:00 (17:00 to 19:00 GMT) on Monday. Read more
“The votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made in time for him to be informed,” Brady said.
A spokesman for Johnson’s Downing Street office said the vote was “a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw the line and move forward, meeting people’s priorities”.
“The prime minister welcomes the opportunity to present his arguments to MPs (members of parliament) and will remind them that when they are united and focus on issues that matter to voters, there is no more formidable political force.”
REAL ANGER
A majority of Conservative lawmakers – or 180 – will have to vote against Johnson to remove him – a level some conservatives say may be difficult to reach. If he is accepted, then there will be a race for leadership to decide on his replacement, which may take several weeks.
Several ministers on his cabinet’s team rushed to deliver messages in support of the prime minister, with Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, like other possible successors, saying Johnson had shown “strong leadership”.
“I support it today and will continue to support it as we focus on economic growth, tackling the cost of living and clearing the gap with COVID,” he said on Twitter in what appeared to be a choreographed expression of support.
Bookmaker Ladbrokes has named former Health Minister Jeremy Hunt as his favorite to replace Johnson if he is ousted, followed by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who also tweeted her “100% support” for the prime minister in Monday’s vote. Read more
Following the publication of the damned report on the so-called “partygate” scandal, which lists battles and alcohol-induced vomiting at parties for breaking the blockade on Downing Street, Johnson and his government called on lawmakers to move forward.
But after parliament took a break last week, sending many lawmakers back to their constituencies or voting regions, several were greeted by a chorus of complaints against Johnson.
Steve Barkley, who was appointed head of Downing Street’s cabinet following party reports, urged lawmakers not to “waste the other half of parliament in distracting leadership.”
“If we constantly deviate as a Conservative party – and in addition the government and the country – to a protracted leadership debate, we will send the opposite message,” he wrote on the Conservative Home website.
The scathing criticism from Norman, who was a junior minister in the finance ministry between 2019 and 2021, was perhaps the biggest sign that criticism of Johnson had spread beyond the group of so-called rebels.
“People are shouting for good government … neither the Conservative Party nor this country can afford to waste the next two years, distracted and distracted by endless debates about you and your leadership,” he wrote in a letter posted on Twitter.
“To prolong this charade by remaining in office, you are not only insulting the electorate and the tens of thousands of people who support, volunteer, represent and campaign for our party; this makes a decisive change of government much more likely in the next election. This is potentially catastrophic for this country. “
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Report by Elizabeth Piper; edited by Guy Falconbridge, Kate Holton and Alex Richardson
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
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