UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to face a no-confidence vote in the parliament which could result in him being ousted from power. The no-confidence vote was moved by the conservative party which Johnson leads after the Partygate scandal.
Parties and gatherings of the government and the staff of the Conservatives during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, despite public health restrictions prohibiting most gatherings, created a massive political storm in the UK, leading to the coinage of the term Partygate. The scandal became public in April, right before Johnson’s scheduled India visit.
The prime minister apologised when an inquiry into breaches of the lockdown rules at 10 Downing Street concluded “leadership failures” to be the reasons for the rule-breaking in the UK government offices.
According to CNN, at least 54 Conservative MPs submitted letters to Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee – a group of backbenchers, saying they’ve lost confidence in their leader. The no-confidence motion followed this.
The MPs will cast their votes between 6 pm and 8 pm (UK time). All the 359 Conservative MPs can vote and Johnson needs 180 votes to survive.
If he manages a win, he will remain in office and cannot be challenged again for another 12 months. But if he loses, Johnson will have to resign and will not be able to stand in the leadership election that follows, Reuters reported.
Boris Johnson took over as the prime minister on July 24, 2019 from party colleague Theresa May. He previously was the foreign secretary from July 13, 2016 to July 9, 2018.
