Britain’s Boris Johnson to face no-confidence vote from his party

 

Britain’s Boris Johnson to face no-confidence vote from his party

By Karla Adam and William Booth 

Updated June 6, 2022 at 6:58 a.m. EDT|Published June 6, 2022 at 3:49 a.m. EDT

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London on June 5. (Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)

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LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday evening will face a punishing vote of no confidence by his fellow Conservative Party lawmakers following anger over lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street and overall discontent with his leadership, which one former ally branded a “charade.”

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The stunning development came after enough Conservative lawmakers submitted letters of no confidence to trigger the process, signaling how deeply some in Johnson’s own party feel about his leadership — and their own prospects in upcoming elections.

Johnson’s supporters say he will likely survive the no confidence vote and remain prime minister. But he will be wounded. His predecessor, Theresa May, survived a no confidence challenge over her failed Brexit deal in 2018. However, she was forced to resign the next year.

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Assuming Johnson wins — and win is a dubious verb for a politician in this position — both he and his party will struggle to rebuild the Tory brand in the face of high inflation, soaring cost of living and months-long waiting times for patients at the National Health Service.

In opinion surveys, Johnson’s polling numbers are in the dumpster after months of drip-drip revelations about how he allowed his staff to turn his office and residence of 10 Downing Street into an ersatz frat house during the darkest days of the pandemic — with “BYOB” party invites, karaoke singing, fisticuffs and vomiting.

The secret balloting will take place between 6 and 8 p.m. local time (1 and 3 p.m. Eastern time). A confidence vote is triggered when 15 percent of the Conservative’s parliamentary party — or 54 lawmakers — submit letters to the chair of the 1922 Committee, a powerful group of backbench Tory lawmakers. To survive, Johnson needs just a simple majority — or 180 votes — of his fellow party members.

If Johnson survives, as is likely, the vote is still a sensational moment, which follows a long string of bad decisions made by the prime minister, especially his constant need to fudge his answers.

Will Jennings, a politics expert at the University of Southampton, said that Conservative politicians were maneuvering now — “after an obvious pause for the jubilee” — as many have calculated that the Partygate scandal “will hang over the PM in the run-up to the next election,” which is in two-and-a-half years time.

Johnson’s critics, Jennings said, have noticed that “voters have moved on from Partygate, they don’t want to hear about Partygate. But they have very made up their minds about Partygate. They think that the prime minister broke the rules, there’s very broad support for him going, and the public don’t see him as trustworthy. This is starting to pose a serious electoral threat to the Conservative Party.”

This is all the more remarkable as comes just a little over two years after Johnson led the party to a whopping 80-seat majority at the 2019 general election.

The speed at which the vote is coming together, however, likely means that Johnson’s critics have little time to rally and there’s no obvious successor for lawmakers gather around.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, was once thought to be the party’s Plan B but his star has faded after a number of scandals, including a row over his billionaire wife’s tax filing status and troubles with the economy.

For his part, Johnson on Monday has been tweeting out pictures of himself on the phone to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “President [Zelensky] just updated me on the ongoing battle against Russian aggression in the Donbas,” in what some have called an effort to shift the focus away from his domestic troubles.

Speaking to reporters, Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, said that he had told Johnson on Sunday evening that the threshold for a vote had been met.

“He shared my view, which is also in line with the rules that we have in place, that that vote should happen as soon as it could reasonably take place and that would be today.”

He did not say how many letters he had received.

In response, a Downing Street spokesman spun the vote as "a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities.”

“The prime minister welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters, there is no more formidable political force,” he said.

If Johnson survives then no further vote is allowed for a year, though this rule can be changed.

Brady told reporters that some of those calling for a no-confidence vote had said it should only take place once jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II had come to a close. Johnson was booed by some when attended a jubilee service on Friday at St Paul’s Cathedral.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Symonds arrive for a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral in London, June 3. (Matt Dunham/AP)

In a scathing letter posted on social media, Jesse Norman, once one of Johnson’s longtime supporters, said that the prime minister had presided over a “a culture of casual lawbreaking” at Downing Street.

“For you to prolong this charade by remaining in office not only insults the electorate, and the tens of thousands of people who support, volunteer, represent and campaign for our party,” he wrote.

But he also added that his frustration extended beyond the scandal, calling Johnson’s policy priorities were “deeply questionable,” and listed the government’s plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, and the potential “breach” of the Northern Ireland protocol that was negotiated as part of the Brexit deal.

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Liz Truss, the foreign secretary who is also one of the favorites to succeed Johnson, tweeted her support: “The prime minister has my 100% backing in today’s vote and I strongly encourage colleagues to support him … He has apologised for mistakes made. We must now focus on economic growth.”

Jeremy Hunt, a former foreign sectary, said in a tweet thread that he would be “voting for change.” Some say he would make a fresh bid for the leadership if Johnson loses.

“Having been trusted with power, Conservative MPs know in our hearts we are not giving the British people the leadership they deserve. We are not offering the integrity, competence and vision necessary to unleash the enormous potential of our country,” he said

“And because we are no longer trusted by the electorate, who know this too, we are set to lose the next general election.”

An anti-Conservative Party protester holds a placard by the Houses of Parliament, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. (Matt Dunham/AP)

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By Karla Adam

Karla Adam is a London correspondent for The Washington Post. Before joining The Post in 2006, she worked as a freelancer in London, writing for several U.S. publications including the New York Times, Newsweek and People magazine. She is a former president of the Association of American Correspondents in London.  Twitter

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By William Booth

William Booth is The Washington Post’s London bureau chief. He was previously bureau chief in Jerusalem, Mexico City, Los Angeles and Miami.  Twitter

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