Britain’s ruling Conservative Party will decide later Monday whether Boris Johnson remains prime minister or not. A confidence vote against the British Prime Minister will be presented Monday evening between 7 and 9 p.m. When a majority of 180 Conservatives in the British House of Commons decides not to trust Johnson anymore after the so-called partygate scandal, the prime minister is impeached and a successor election follows. The outcome will be announced immediately after the vote.
Monday morning became announced that at least 15 percent of incumbent Conservative MPs (at least 54 MPs) have written to the 1922 Committee (a collection of all Conservative backbenchers) that they no longer support Johnson. That 15 percent was the minimum threshold for a confidence vote. It is not known how many letters were actually sent, only committee chairman Graham Brady knows. Johnson would have been notified of the vote on Sunday, Brady said, according to the BBC†
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Long awaited report
If Johnson survives the vote – at least half of the Conservatives in the House of Commons must vote for him – his position will be secured for a year. A confidence vote against him cannot be started again this year.
The British Prime Minister appears to be looking forward to the vote with confidence. “The Prime Minister welcomes the opportunity to argue his case before MPs,” a spokesman for Johnson’s office told the British newspaper The Guardian† “Tonight is an opportunity to end months of speculation, and allow the government to draw the line and move forward with priorities.”
Johnson, who has been Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2019, has been under pressure in recent months because of partygate; illegal lockdown parties held at the British Prime Minister’s residence during the corona pandemic. A long-awaited report from senior British civil servant Sue Gray was published late last month. It contained new photos of Johnson at those parties and details about the excessive drinking of those in attendance. According to Gray, the British government should bear responsibility for the scandal. Johnson himself claims that he attended the meetings “briefly” to thank his officials for their hard work during the corona crisis.