After 54 of his Tory MPs triggered a contest following a string of scandals, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a Conservative Party confidence vote on his leadership Monday.
Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs, said, “The threshold of 15% of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded.”
“In accordance with the rules, a ballot will be held between 1800 and 2000 (1700 and 1900 GMT) today,” he added.
In response, a Downing Street spokesman said that the vote is a chance for Johnson to ”draw a line and move on”.
“The PM 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,” the spokesperson added.
Unable to move on from a report that documented alcohol-fuelled parties at the heart of power when Britain was under strict lockdowns to tackle COVID-19, Johnson has been under growing pressure.
Joining a growing number who have voiced concern about Johnson’s electoral appeal, Jesse Norman, who served as a junior minister in the finance ministry between 2019 and 2021, was the latest Conservative lawmaker to publicly request a confidence vote.
“Recent events have served to clarify the position this country is in under your leadership, beyond any doubt; and I am afraid I can see no circumstances in which I could serve in a government led by you,” Norman said in a letter he published on Twitter.
For the removal of Johnson from the position of the prime minister, a majority of Conservative lawmakers or 180 would have to vote against him.
Although some Conservatives say that kind of majority might be difficult to reach if passed there would then be a leadership contest to decide his replacement.
(With inputs from agencies)
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