UK’s Johnson Faces No-Confidence Vote as Conservative Rebels Call for Leadership Change Over Partygate

Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a press conference in Downing Street, London, on May 25, 2022. Leon Neal/PA Media

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote of no-confidence on Monday evening after Conservative lawmakers called for a change in party leadership following revelations of breaches of COVID-19 rules in the heart of government during the pandemic.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, said on Monday morning, “The threshold of 15 percent of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded.”

He announced that a ballot will be held between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. UK time on Monday evening, and the votes will be counted immediately afterwards.

Conservative MP and Chairman of the 1922 Committee Graham Brady outside the Houses of Parliament on Oct. 20, 2020. Leon Neal/Getty Images

Brady said he had notified Johnson on Sunday, adding that the prime minister agreed with him that “that vote should happen as soon as it could reasonably take place.”

There has been a steady stream of Tory MPs calling publicly for Johnson to stand down in the wake of the publication of an official report on breaches of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus regulations inside the prime minister’s official residence at Number 10 Downing Street.

The report, written by senior civil servant Sue Gray, said “the senior leadership at the centre” must bear responsibility for the breaches, which resulted in a total of 126 fines being issued to 83 people, including Johnson, his wife Carrie, and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.

To oust the prime minister, the rebels will need 180 MPs to vote against Johnson’s leadership. But Johnson’s allies have made clear he is determined to fight to stay on.

Speaking shortly after Brady made his announcement, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Sky News that the prime minister “will stand and fight his corner with a very, very strong case.”

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said: “The PM has got the big calls right—securing life-saving vaccines, firing up our economy, and standing up to Putin’s aggression against Ukraine. We need to back him, unite, and focus on delivering the people’s priorities.”

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: “Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities.

“The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force.”

PA Media contributed to this report.