Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Benjamin Lynch

Who is Sir Graham Brady and the 1922 Committee as Boris Johnson faces no-confidence vote

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a vote of no confidence in his leadership, it was announced today (June 6).

Chair of the 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady said in a statement: "The threshold of 15% of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded."

At least 54 Tory MPs have to submit a letter to Brady for a vote to be triggered and letters can stay anonymous if the so MP chooses.

A secret ballot will now be held between 6pm and 8pm today, giving Tory MPs the chance to express their opinion on the Prime Minister, who has faced scandal after scandal during his time in government.

They include allegations of sleaze, criticism of the government's handling of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and of course, Partygate.

The vote is of real importance, because if he survives he will be safe from another leadership challenge for another year. However, previous PM Theresa May eventually stepped down after winning a vote of no confidence. The rules of the committee can also be changed.

Who is Sir Graham Brady?

Brady has been an MP since 1997 (Getty Images)

Sir Graham Brady is a Tory MP currently in charge of the 1922 Committee and the representative for Altrincham and Sale West.

The former lawyer was born in 1964 and has been the chair of the committee since 2010, making him the first to oversee two votes of no confidence in a PM.

A Brexit supporter, Brady survived a challenge to replace him as chair of the committee in 2021. He was re-elected after facing off against South Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler, reportedly a favoured candidate of No10, with whom Brady's relationship is believed to be strained.

Brady announced the vote on the future of the PM on June 6 in a statement and said that the ballots cast will be "immediately" counted.

What is the 1922 Committee?

The committee is nearly 100 years old and is now centre stage once again, following the announcement of no confidence in the PM (PA)

The 1922 Committee is a group of backbench Tory MPs responsible for creating "cooperation within the party".

Nicknamed "the men in grey suits", it has a weekly meeting that gives a chance for Tory backbenchers to get their point across to senior government ministers.

Only the chair knows how many letters have been sent in by MPs expressing their lack of faith in the Prime Minister.

The committee was actually set up in 1923 but takes its name from the year before - the year its founders were elected to the House of Commons.

Choosing a new leader of the Conservative Party involves the 1922 Committee and the last time a leader actually lost a vote of no confidence was Iain Duncan Smith, who crashed out by 90 votes to 75.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.