Johnson’s Government Puts Forward Confidence Motion in Itself After Blocking Labour Bid

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson waves while walking to a waiting car as he leaves from 10 Downing Street to head to the Houses of Parliament for the weekly Prime Minister's Questions, in central London, on July 13, 2022. Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty Images

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government says it will put forward a confidence motion in itself after it blocked the opposition’s bid for a vote of no confidence in both the government and the leader.

The government—effectively a caretaker administration after Johnson announced he will step down—took the measure after Labour said it intended to seek a no confidence motion on Wednesday in response to Johnson’s declaration that he will carry on in his role until a new Conservative leader is in place in September.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it would be “intolerable” for Johnson to “cling on for weeks and weeks and weeks” when his own party has concluded he is “unfit for office.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks to the media after he delivers a speech outlining his party's plan to fight the next election, at Sage Gateshead, England, on July 11, 2022. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

But the government blocked the vote on Tuesday, accusing Labour of “playing politics” by seeking a vote of no confidence in both the government and the prime minister when Johnson had already resigned.

“As the prime minister has already resigned and a leadership process is under way, we do not feel this is a valuable use of parliamentary time,” a government spokesman said. “Should Labour amend their motion appropriately, they can have the next business day for it to be debated.”

Different Wording

The Conservatives are now planning to put forward their own motion for the House of Commons to ask whether “this House has confidence in Her Majesty’s government.”

The prime minister is expected to open the debate, which is due to take place on Monday.

A government spokeswoman said Labour had chosen not to follow convention by putting forward a “straightforward vote of no confidence in the government.”

To remedy the situation, she said, the government is proposing a motion “which gives the House the opportunity to decide if it has confidence in the government.”

“The government will always allow time for appropriate House matters whilst ensuring that it delivers parliamentary business to help improve people’s everyday lives,” she said.

A Labour spokesman rejected the criticism and insisted that its motion was “in order.”

He suggested it would be hypocritical for Conservative MPs who have demanded Johnson’s resignation to vote in favour of his caretaker government.

“We look forward to the dozens of Conservative MPs who have already expressed no confidence in Boris Johnson in writing to vote accordingly next week because to do anything else would be brazen hypocrisy,” said the spokesman.

PA Media contributed to this report.