British prime minister Boris Johnson has survived a confidence vote in his leadership of the Tory party but his authority has been dealt a significant blow. Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in support of the prime minister but the scale of the revolt against his leadership leaves him wounded. When Theresa May faced a confidence vote in 2018 she secured the support of 63 per cent of her MPs — but was still forced out within six months.
Mr Johnson saw 41 per cent of his MPs vote against him, a worse result than Mrs May. The prime minister made a last-ditch plea to Tory MPs to back him, promising future tax cuts and highlighting his own record of electoral success. But with concern over the partygate scandal, economic policy, drifting opinion polls and Mr Johnson’s style of leadership, the prime minister faced a difficult task to persuade his doubters.
The ballot was triggered after at least 54 MPs — 15 per cent of the party’s representatives in the Commons — said they had no confidence in the prime minister. Mr Johnson wrote to Tory MPs and addressed them at a private meeting in Westminster before voting began.
Mr Johnson pleaded with Tory MPs to back his leadership rather than indulge in “pointless” internal warfare as he faced a crunch vote on his political future.
Conservative MPs were voting to decide whether they still had confidence in the prime minister following rows over lockdown-busting parties in No 10, splits over economic policy and divisions over his leadership style.
The prime minister wrote to Tory MPs and addressed them at a private meeting in Westminster two hours before voting began. He reminded Conservatives that “under my leadership” the party had won its biggest electoral victory in 40 years. He warned them that Tory splits risked the “utter disaster” of Keir Starmer’s Labour entering Downing Street, propped up by the SNP. “The only way we will let that happen is if we were so foolish as to descend into some pointless fratricidal debate about the future of our party,” he said, according to briefed extracts of his speech to the private meeting of Tory MPs.
In his separate letter to Conservatives, Mr Johnson said: “Tonight we have the chance to end weeks of media speculation and take this country forward, immediately, as one united party.” It is an opportunity to “draw a line” under the issue, he added. “I do not believe our voters will lightly forgive us if — just when they need us most to be focusing on them — we appear once again to be focusing on Westminster politics.”
Responding to the confidence vote, Nadhim Zahawi said Mr Johnson won the vote “handsomely” . Speaking to Sky News in Westminster’s central lobby after the result was announced, the education secretary said: “I think the important thing to remember is that whichever side of the argument you’re on on this, the one thing we all believe in is democracy. “That was a ballot, the prime minister won handsomely,” he added. “I think the important thing to remember is that we only are able to deliver if we are united. I hope we can draw a line under this now and focused on delivery.” Pressed on how he can call the result “handsome”, Mr Zahawi said: “It’s a ballot. 50 plus one is a majority. Boris did much better than that.” Asked about whether there will now be a Tory civil war, Mr Zahawi said: “All of my colleagues, whichever way they voted, know that we win the election when we are united. People don’t vote for divided parties — that’s my message. We’re democrats above everything else and I think you’ll find every colleague — even those who voted against the prime minister tonight — will agree with that statement.”
Foreign office minister James Cleverly said it was a “comfortable” and “clear” win. Talking to reporters outside Committee Room 14, Mr Cleverly said: “I think the country would rightly be very, very upset if we as a party decided to ignore, you know, what the wider party said when they elected him leader, what the country said when they made him prime minister and what the bulk of Conservative MPs have now said today, which is that they want him to stay.
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “That result is surely the worst of all worlds for the Tories. “But much more importantly: at a time of huge challenge, it saddles the UK with an utterly lame duck PM. “And for Scotland, it just underlines the democratic deficit — only 2 of (Scotland’s) 59 MPs have confidence in the PM.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “Conservative MPs are now fully responsible for the prime minister’s behaviour. They have narrowly voted to keep a lawbreaker and liar in Number 10. “Whilst Boris Johnson has clung on today — make no mistake, his reputation is in tatters and his authority is now totally shot. “It’s clear that the prime Minister and the Conservative Party are laughing at the British public. “Every Conservative MP who cares about integrity and decency must do the right thing, resign the whip and sit as an independent. For the sake of our country, this failing prime minister cannot be propped up any longer. "
“So, people have got to recognise they didn’t get the vote of no confidence through and what they should now do is say ‘okay, we respect the democratic decision of the party, we are gonna support the Prime Minister in getting on with the job’.” He added: “It was a comfortable win.” Mr Cleverly also said: “It was a clear win. And I’ll tell you something, if there is any other candidate who thinks they are gonna get 60% of the parliamentary party rallying around him, good luck with that.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson was “utterly unfit for the great office he holds” and accused Tory MPs of ignoring the British public. He said: “The Conservative Government now believes that breaking the law is no impediment to making the law.”
Mr Johnson was informed early on Sunday afternoon that he would face the vote after more than 15 per cent of the party’s MPs — 54 parliamentarians — had submitted formal letters, emails or messages saying they had lost confidence in him. Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, confirmed he had received the 54 letters from Conservative MPs needed to trigger the vote on Sunday with a “clear indication” that there would be more to come following the conclusion of the platinum jubilee festivities.
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A steady stream of Tory MPs called publicly for the prime minister to stand down in the wake of Sue Gray’s report into breaches of the Covid regulations in No 10 and Whitehall.
But Tory concerns go far wider, covering the prime minister’s policies which have seen the tax burden reach the highest in 70 years and concerns about his approach to ethics and cultural issues. In order to oust the prime minister, however, the rebels will need 180 MPs, and allies of Mr Johnson made clear he is determined to fight to stay on. -PA
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