The motion to express no confidence in him did not find a majority. The British Prime Minister remains in office.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in office. He won a confidence vote from his conservative parliamentary group on Monday. Of the 359 votes cast, 211 were in favor of staying on as prime minister and 148 against. The motion to express no confidence in him did not find a majority. This was announced by the responsible party committee.
Johnson has been under domestic political pressure since it gradually emerged in the winter that parties were being held at his official residence. Meanwhile, most Britons sat out long lockdowns – and could not even accompany dying relatives.
Party colleagues have repeatedly publicly demanded that Johnson, who tolerated the celebration culture and even participated in some, should resign. However, the number of critics did not reach the necessary threshold to trigger the vote of no confidence – not even when Johnson had to pay a fine for attending one of the parties, becoming the first sitting prime minister to have been proven to have broken the law. The outbreak of war in Ukraine led some critics at times to believe it was not the right time for a change in leadership.
Only the recently published investigative report by top official Sue Gray, which gave those responsible in Downing Street a devastating certificate of good conduct, encouraged other MPs to speak out against Johnson and to initiate a vote of no confidence.