Boris Johnson is facing a no confidence vote from Tory MPs over both Partygate and his wider leadership.
Enough Tory MPs have now submitted letters to the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady meaning that a no confidence vote has been triggered. A no confidence vote in the leader can occur at any time if 15% of the parliamentary party write to the chairman of the Committee. As there are 359 MPs with the Tory whip, 54 of them need to send letters. to begin the process.
Former financial secretary to Treasury and Tory MP Jesse Norman published his letter which contained a scathing attack on Boris Johnson. The parties were not central to his issue, rather he highlighted the policy of deporting people to Rwanda which he called "counter productive and of doubtful legality, and the privation of Channel 4 which he branded "unnecessary and provocative".
Read more: Boris Johnson's future as Prime Minister in doubt as confidence vote announced
What does a no confidence vote mean?
Now that the no confidence vote has been triggered all Tory MPs will hold a secret ballot is held of Tory MPs. 50% of MPs need to vote “no confidence” for the motion to pass. If a no confidence vote succeeds, the Tory leader must resign and a full leadership contest is held.
When will the Boris Johnson no confidence vote be held?
It can happen very quickly. Theresa May’s was held within hours. The announcement was made in the morning and was held the same day.
The same is true this time around and a vote will happen this evening (Monday, June 6) at 6pm.
If he loses that vote a full leadership contest will have to be held that will take month, especially because there is no obvious replacement. However if he wins he cannot be challenged again for 12 months.
When similar votes have been held previously the Prime Minister has been able to make their case for remaining to the backbenchers before a vote takes place.
Why now?
Tory fears about their leader’s standing among the public were also likely to have been further fuelled by polling carried out ahead of the Wakefield by-election by JL Partners. The survey found the Conservatives could lose the key battleground seat, which was one of tens of constituencies Mr Johnson took from Labour in the so-called Red Wall during his 2019 landslide general election win, by as much as 20 points to Sir Keir Starmer’s party this month.
With the Tiverton and Honiton by-election due to be held on the same day, June 23, as Wakefield, Mr Johnson faces the prospect of losing seats to Labour in the north of England and the Liberal Democrats in the South West. The by-elections will be the first electoral test for the governing party since senior civil servant Sue Gray’s investigation into coronavirus rule-breaching events in No 10 and Whitehall was published last month.
