UK PM to Face No-Confidence Vote amid Partygate Scandal

Today, the UK’s Conservative Party’s MPs will hold a vote of no-confidence on Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which may result in his ouster as Britain’s Prime Minister as well as head of the Conservative Party.

Graham Brady, a party spokesman, claimed he had received enough letters from MPs requesting a vote on Johnson’s leadership to trigger one. That happens if 54 Conservative MPs write to Brady, representing 15% of the party’s group in the House of Commons.

“The threshold of 15 percent has been passed,” Brady said. He said the vote would take place in person in the House of Commons on Monday between 6pm and 8pm (17:00-19:00 GMT).

If Johnson loses the vote among the 359 Conservative politicians, he will be replaced as Conservative leader and prime minister. If he wins, he cannot face another challenge for a year.

The vote is a chance “to draw a line and move on”, a Downing Street spokesperson said, shortly after the vote was announced.

“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.

A majority of Conservative politicians – or 180 – would have to vote against Johnson for him to be removed – a level some Conservatives say might be difficult to reach.

‘Partygate’ scandal

Johnson has been struggling to turn the tide on months of ethics scandals, most notably over rule-breaking parties in government buildings during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Late last month, senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report on what has become known as “Partygate” slammed a culture of rule-breaking inside the prime minister’s No 10 Downing St office.

Gray described alcohol-fuelled parties held by Downing Street staff members in 2020 and 2021, when pandemic restrictions prevented UK residents from socialising or even visiting dying relatives.

Source: aljazeera.com