Boris Johnson News: Conservative MPs vote to decide UK Prime Minister's future

UPDATE at 22:47

Conservative MPs vote to decide Boris Johnson's future

Conservative MPs have begun voting to decide the future of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The result of the ballot will be announced at 9 pm (UK Time).

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UPDATE at 21:43

Douglas Ross to vote against PM

Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross has announced that he will vote against Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Ross said that he had heard loud and clear the anger at the breaking of COVID rules.

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UPDATE at 21.10

Boris Johnson speaks to Conservative MPs in private, urges them to not indulge in 'groundhog day debate'

Boris Johnson speaks to Conservative MPs before the no-confidence vote. An extract of the speech accessed by Sky News shows Johnson asking the MPs to not get into a "groundhog day debate" but "deliver" and "unite". His extract also showed him reiterating the fact that it was this team of people that won the biggest victory for the Conservatives in the last 40 years.

(Sky News)

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UPDATE at 20.51

Phones of Conservative MPs to be confiscated during voting

The phones of Conservative MPs will be confiscated during the no-confidence vote as per The Daily Telegraph. The attempt is aimed at maintaining secrecy during voting.

(The Daily Telegraph)

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UPDATE at 20.24

Conservative MP and now former anti-corruption Tsar John Penrose says vote is 'beginning of the end' for Boris Johnson

Conservative MP John Penrose resigned as government's anti-corruption official on June 6 and called for Boris Johnson's resignation as well. Talking to Times Radio, "I'm very sad to say this but I think that probably this is the beginning of the end."

He added, "I've no idea what will happen this evening, we'll have to wait and see what the result is, but historically, what's happened is once you've had a vote of confidence, unless it's won by a crushing majority, and who knows what this evening will bring, but unless that happens, then the authority is so badly weakened, that they end up going a few months later."

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UPDATE at 19.35

Poll by research agency 'Opinium' shows 59% of the surveyed voters believe Conservatives should remove Boris Johnson

A snap poll conducted by research agency 'Opinium' shows that out of the surveyed 2062 voters 28% of voters think that Conservative MPs should vote to keep Johnson while 59% think they should vote to remove him.

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UPDATE at 19.05

Conservative MPs at loggerheads with opposite stands on Boris Johnson's no-confidence vote

UK's Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries launched a scathing attack on Conservative MP & former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, after he declared that he will vote against Boris Johnson. Dorries accused Hunt of duplicity and even went on to say that if he had remained in charge of health affairs, it eventually would have led to a disaster.

Earlier, Hunt had declared that the Conservatives were no longer trusted by the electorate and said, "Today’s decision is change or lose."

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UPDATE at 18.29

As the no-confidence vote comes closer, here are some leaders who can replace Boris Johnson as the new PM

Several leaders are silently emerging new candidates to become the next UK PM should Boris Johnson lose the no-confidence vote. The leaders include -

Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary

Sajid Javid, Health Secretary

Dominic Raab, Deputy PM 

Read More

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UPDATE at 18.02

Boris Johnson speaks to Zelenskyy ahead of the no-confidence vote

Boris Johnson faces a no-confidence vote in just a few hours from now. Amidst all the chaos around and many Conservative MPs openly coming out against him, the UK PM held a conversation with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the escalating Russian aggression in the Donbass region.

 

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UPDATE at 17.22

Boris Johnson's office shrugs off MP & former PM's Anti-Corruption Champion John Penrose's criticism

Boris Johnson's office claimed that the PM does not believe he has broken the Ministerial Code of Conduct. Replying to John Penrose post his resignation, Downing Street said that PM's overall response to the Sue Gray report as well as the questions of Lord Geidt (Johnson's adviser on the code).

John Penrose had earlier called the findings of Sue Gray's report, 'a clear resigning matter'. He after resigning as PM's Anti-Corruption Champion also called for Boris Johnson's resignation.

(The Daily Telegraph)

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UPDATE at 16.58

Conservative MP Angela Richardson confirms she will be voting against Boris Johnson

Guildford MP, Angela Richardson in a statement said that she has decided to vote against Boris Johnson. She cited the conduct of PM Johnson during and after the partygate scandal adding that it did not match 'standards people expect of those in high office'.

 

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UPDATE at 16.32

Boris Johnson writes to Conservative MPs, asserts no-confidence vote is a chance 'to move the country forward'

As Boris Johnson faces a no-confidence vote, he wrote a letter to his fellow MPs of the Conservative party. He recounted how the Conservatives won the biggest-ever mandate for the Conservative party in 40 years, the efforts of the govt during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rwanda issue, new relations with the EU etc. 

He also mentioned how the government is working towards cutting prices and bringing inflation under control in the near future. On the partygate scandal, Johnson said that the no-confidence vote is a 'golden chance' put it all behind. The UK PM is also due to address Conservative MPs before the no-confidence vote.

(BBC)

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UPDATE at 16.01

MP & PM's Anti-Corruption Champion John Penrose resigns & believes that Boris Johnson should too

John Penrose, MP & PM's Anti-Corruption champion has resigned from his post. In his letter of resignation, he mentioned that the reason behind his resignation wasn't the government's stand to counter economic crimes but Johnson's failure to address the breach of the Ministerial Code as mentioned in the Sue Gray report, which according to him is 'a clear resigning matter'.

 

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UPDATE at 15.20

Scottish Secy Alister Jack says Boris Johnson has his 'full support' ahead of no-confidence vote

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, while speaking to BBC, said that Boris Johnson has his "full support" ahead of no-confidence vote.

"He is showing tremendous leadership as we face major challenges at home and abroad," he said, adding that "I have no doubt that my colleagues in the parliamentary party will vote to show their confidence in the prime minister.”

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UPDATE at 15.10

Boris Johnson tweets on Ukraine crisis after no-confidence vote announced

After news of the no-confidence vote broke, UK PM Boris Johnson tweeted on the topic of the long-range missiles the UK is sending to Ukraine amid Russian invasion. 

"We cannot stand by while Russian long-range artillery flattens cities and kills innocent civilians," he said in a tweet. 

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UPDATE at 15.00

UK PM Boris Johnson tells Tories they are unbeatable if they are 'united and focused on issues that matter'

Boris Johnson welcomes the chance to make his case to MPs, Downing Street claims. In a statement a No 10 spokesperson said: "Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities. 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."

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UPDATE at 15.56

Boris Johnson denies he is ‘habitual liar’ 

UK PM Boris Johnson on June 6 denied he was a “habitual liar”. In an interview with Mumsnet, the prime minister when asked why the public should believe anything he says, stated that “People throw all sorts of accusations at me about all sorts of things ... you’ve just got to look at the record of what I deliver."

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UPDATE at 14.46

Labour Party says 'public mood has changed' as Boris Johnson 'doesn't really tell the truth'

As UK PM Boris Johnson is set to face no-confidence motion, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said the mood of public has changed with a "general sense that this man doesn't really tell the truth".

Speaking to LBC regarding confidence vote in Boris Johnson by Tory MPs, Keir said: "I think the mood has changed. I think the public have made their mind up about this man. They don't think he's really telling the truth about many, many things - not just partygate - but just the general sense that this man doesn't really tell the truth, (he) can't be trusted."

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UPDATE at 14.34

UK MP Jesse Norman says partygate not the only issue over no-confidence motion

Speaking after withdrawing his support for UK PM Boris Johnson, Norman told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there is a "clear picture of a much wider set of concerns" that go beyond the Partygate scandal. He mentioned that the no-confidence motion is set to take place as there are "core policy issues" like the UK government's plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, and the "potential breach" of the Northern Ireland protocol of the Brexit deal.

Taking to Twitter, he said that "I have supported Boris Johnson for 15 years, for the London Mayoralty and for PM. Very sadly, I have written to him to say I can no longer do so, for the reasons set out below."

 

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UPDATE at 14.18

Boris Johnson to address Tory MPs ahead of no-confidence vote

In order to to save his premiership, UK PM Boris Johnson will address Tory MPs ahead of no-confidence vote. As per reports, the Prime Minister will speak to the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers ahead of confidence vote that will take place tonight.

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UPDATE at 14.11

Some Conservative MPs back Boris Johnson on Twitter
 

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UPDATE at 14.03

Tory MPs have been sent a fact sheet, requesting them to back Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

 

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UPDATE at 13.59

Sir Graham Brady, chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, said that Boris Johnson will not necessarily be safe even if he survives no-confidence vote tonight.

Although the Conservative committee's rules say there could not be another confidence vote for another year, Graham said such procedures could be amended.

"Technically it's possible for rules to be changed but the rule at present is there would be a period of grace," he told reporters.

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In a major blow, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a no-confidence vote today, June 6, by lawmakers in the governing Conservative Party, confirmed Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories. The vote will take place between 6 pm-8 pm (local time). It is to note that Johnson will be replaced as Conservative leader and UK PM if he loses the vote among the 359 Conservative lawmakers. However, If he wins, he will be safe from another challenge for a year.

This development comes as at least 30 Tory MPs already publicly appealed to Johnson to resign and others have secretly submitted letters to initiate the no-confidence motion against him, after the British leader was booed at Platinum Jubilee events at the weekend.

Johnson was appointed as UK PM in 2019 and he has been under immense pressure following parties held in his Downing Street office and residence when the country was under strict COVID-19 lockdowns. Several Conservative lawmakers have raised concern over whether Johnson, 57, has lost his authority to govern Britain, the nation which is at present facing risk of recession, rising fuel and food prices among others.

"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 TODAY MONDAY 6th JUNE —details to be confirmed. The votes will be counted immediately afterwards,"  Sir Graham Brady said in a statement. 

Earlier, some close aides of Johnson said they did not believe that the threshold of 54 letters would be reached in the near future. According to the Conservative Party rules, "54" is the threshold for conducting a leadership vote. If the number is reached, Brady, has to initiate a no-confidence motion against him. 

 

On Sunday, Business minister Paul Scully admitted that a vote of no confidence "might well happen". However, he added Johnson would win the poll. "Whatever happens, we’ve got to get back to governing, to tackle the things that people want us to do on a day-to-day basis," The Guardian quoted Scully as saying.  Though several Conservative ministers believed that the poll may happen this week, transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said he did not believe the timeline being speculated in the media. 

However, another source told the British English Daily that even if the no-confidence vote would be conducted against Johnson, "he would beat it". The No 10 source claimed if Johnson defeated the vote by a small margin, he would not resign, like his predecessor Theresa May. On the other hand, Health minister Sajid Javid told Sky News that the threshold of letters would be reached and Johnson has to face the no-confidence motion. "I don’t know that’s the honest answer, no one knows at this point except my colleague Sir Graham Brady. We know several colleagues have gone public asking for such a vote. I do think it’s possible but I don’t know," he said. 

Why do Johnson's own party leaders want a no-confidence vote?

According to the allegations levelled against Johnson, the minister and his close aides had organised a booze party during the COVID-19 lockdown. This happened at a time when the administration restricted people from attending any social gathering and limited meetings to just two people. The media report said the Christmas parties were held in Downing Street at the height of the coronavirus lockdown in 2020. 

It is pertinent to mention here that Downing Street is a 200-metre long street in the City of Westminster that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. "These are rules that he put in place… If the prime minister himself has not followed that guidance, if he was at that party when others were told to remain in their homes and not mix with others, that is simply unacceptable," Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross had said. "And if he has misled parliament, in my view he can't continue," added Ross.

Image: AP