Wednesday penciled in for possible vote of no confidence in Johnson

Boris Johnson could face leadership challenge this week, the Sunday Times reports

Officials in British prime minister Boris Johnson's ruling Conservative Party expect a challenge to his leadership this week and have pencilled in a vote for Wednesday, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.

A growing number of Conservative lawmakers have said they have lost faith in Johnson's government over a "partygate" scandal, with some saying they have submitted letters to officially call for a vote of confidence in their leader.

At least 54 Conservative members of parliament are required to formally request a confidence vote to the chairman of the party's 1922 Committee for one to be triggered. The letters are confidential so only the chairman of the committee knows how many have been submitted.

More than 25 lawmakers have gone public with their letters so far and the Times said party officials and rebel lawmakers believed they were on the verge of the 54 threshold, with one believing the key number had already been passed.

"Officers of the 1922 executive have already pencilled in Wednesday as the day for the leadership vote," the newspaper reported.

Johnson's Conservatives are defending two parliamentary seats in by-elections later this month after the sitting lawmakers were forced to resign - one for watching pornography in parliament and the other after being convicted of sexually abusing a boy.

A poll for the paper found the opposition Labour Party was 20 points ahead of the Conservatives in one of these.

Asked if there would be a vote of confidence in Johnson this week, transport minister Grant Shapps told BBC TV: "No I don't", saying governments often suffered poor polling in mid-term.

He said Johnson would win any vote.

Johnson has repeatedly apologised for his conduct after an official report found both he and Downing Street officials broke stringent laws that his government made during the pandemic, holding alcohol-fuelled gatherings at the height of lockdowns.

He was jeered by the public when he arrived at a service of thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth on Friday.

Johnson has said he will not resign because there are too many challenges facing the government and it would not be responsible to walk away.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-officials-expect-johnson-leadership-challenge-this-week-times-2022-06-05/

Things have moved quicker than expected. The vote will take place this evening between 6:00 and 8:00, the votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made at a time to be advised.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/vote-confidence-uk-pm-johnson-take-place-later-monday-2022-06-06/

Boris Johnson hails 'decisive, conclusive' win despite huge rebellion



Boris Johnson hailed a "decisive, conclusive" win despite a huge rebellion as he secured his political survival - for now at least - after winning a confidence vote by 211 to 148.

The result was announced by Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, on a dramatic day that saw several more of Mr Johnson's own MPs turn on him.

"Don't forget when I first stood to be leader of the Conservative Party in 2019, I didn't get anything like that much support from my colleagues in Parliament," he told Sky News.

"What we have now is an opportunity to put behind us all the stuff as I say that people in the media like going on about. There's a difference in the category of conversation. I know people want to talk about stuff that goes on at Westminster.

"What I want to talk about is what we as a Government are doing. What we're going to do now is take the opportunity to unite and deliver. And that's what we want to do."

The PM added he had "no interest" in a snap election - but stopped short of explicitly ruling it out.

Following the pattern of his political career, Boris Johnson lives to fight another day.

Mr Johnson won out in a confidence vote some rebels are now saying was too much, too soon, in the face of a disorganised opposition and an extensive Government payroll vote.

For the Prime Minister it is now 'case closed' on partygate. He dismissed it as a media obsession three times in as many minutes, insisting he now has more support among Tory MPs than he did in 2019.

The man's as deluded and as narcissistic as ever. He's now toast and we all know it.