British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a vote of no confidence on Monday evening provoked by a revolt from his Conservative Party after the “partygate” scandal.
Johnson obtained 211 votes from Conservative MPs in his favor against 148 asking for his departure in a secret ballot, which allows him to remain leader of the party and save his post as head of government.
Quiet for a year
After weeks of speculation, events rushed on Monday morning, barely closed the festive parenthesis of the celebrations of the 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II. Conservative Party 1922 Committee Chairman Graham Brady announced that the fateful threshold of 54 letters from MPs, or 15% of the parliamentary group, calling for Johnson’s departure had been reached, triggering the vote.
In the event of defeat, an internal election would have been called to designate a new leader of the party, who would have become head of government, in a delicate context of war in Ukraine and inflation at its highest for 40 years. Victorious, he cannot be targeted by another motion of no confidence for a year, according to the current rules.