Explained: No Confidence Vote Against UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, won a vote of confidence in his leadership on Monday, brushing off a bid by his party's rebels to overthrow him. However, a revolt by 148 of his 359 Conservative Party legislators has struck a significant blow to his power.

For Johnson to be driven out, he required at least 180 MPs to vote no confidence in him. However, Tory rebels fell 32 MPs short of ousting the Prime Minister. The vote against his leadership, on the other hand, was more than predicted, reflecting serious dissatisfaction among a considerable number of Conservative MPs.

What is a no confidence motion?

AP

A motion of no confidence, also known as a vote of no confidence, is a statement or vote that questions if someone in a position of authority (government, management, etc.) is still fit to occupy that position. It is an important statute in about 19 countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, European Union, India, Ireland, Pakistan and UK.

Though rarely successful, votes of no confidence are an important feature of the British constitution, allowing for the dismissal of a Prime minister deemed unsuitable to serve. The latest attempt occurred in 1979, when Labour leader James Callaghan was deposed, clearing the way for Margaret Thatcher's accession. Meanwhile, the most recent vote was held in 2018 in response to Theresa May's declaration of her Brexit stance, though May was able to retain power with the support of two-thirds of her party.

In general, members of any party can make a resolution against their own party or the opposition, however in the Conservative Party, at least 15% of one party's MPs must submit a letter of no confidence in order to force a vote. To stay in power, the leader needs a simple majority of 50 percent plus one extra vote; after that, another ballot won't be held for at least another year. If the leader loses, a leadership challenge that can last months is held to determine who will succeed them.

What led to this?

The numerous social gatherings that took place at Downing Street during some of the periods of the nationĄ¯s strictest lockdowns. This was considered illegal at that time as similar gatherings by private citizens at the time had been subject to whopping fines. This led to this no confidence motion against Boris. The scandal is known as Ą°Partygate.Ąą

With the party's humiliation as a result, calls for Johnson's removal became louder, culminating in the announcement early on Monday morning that 54 Conservative members of parliament had submitted letters of no confidence in him, surpassing the threshold needed to force a vote.

AP

Johnson's result of the motion was poorer than that of former Prime Minister Theresa May, who won a confidence vote in her leadership by 200 votes (63 percent) to 117 in December 2018. (37 per cent). Within six months, she was dismissed. Johnson had the same level of opposition from his MPs as Margaret Thatcher did in 1990, when she received 204 votes (55%) to Michael Heseltine's 152 (41 per cent). Two days later, she announced her resignation.

Johnson was unfazed by the intensity of the uprising, describing the outcome as a "convincing, decisive, good and conclusive result" that would let him put the Downing Street lockdown party incident behind him and focus on the government's priorities.

Boris JohnsonĄ¯s stint as the UK Prime Minister

Boris Johnson came to power amidst the Brexit mayhem. Following former Prime Minister Theresa May's departure, he ran for party leadership and won with 66 percent of the vote, bolstered by supporters of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. His time as Prime Minister has been plagued by a seemingly never-ending string of controversies since then.

Reuters

From hasteful Brexit decisions to delayed Covid restrictions in the UK, Johnson has been at the receiving end of many brickbats. The most recent controversy stems from the departure of his former close advisor Dominic Cummings, who revealed that an expensive refurbishment of Johnson's Downing Street flat, was funded by Conservative donors rather than Johnson himself.

While a win for Johnson technically prevents another vote for a year, the Conservatives may amend the rules (a process which would be relatively simple). In any case, this is a watershed point in Johnson's tenure as Prime Minister.

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