Von der Leyen survives censure vote but faces calls to reverse EU’s rightward drift

Ursula von der Leyen was always expected to comfortably survive the censure motion vote. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has survived a rare vote of censure in the European parliament, but faces calls to reverse the rightward drift of EU policies.

Von der Leyen was always expected to comfortably survive the censure motion vote on Thursday, which in theory could have triggered the downfall of her commission. In the end 175 MEPs voted for the motion, 360 against and 18 abstained, on a turnout of 77% of the 720-strong parliament.