UK PM Boris Johnson narrowly survives confidence vote triggered by lawmakers in his own party

LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday survived a vote of confidence, triggered by his own lawmakers amid increasing dissatisfaction in his leadership.

Some 211 Conservative Party lawmakers voted in favor of the prime minister, while 148 voted against him. Johnson needed the support of a simple majority of 180 MPs to win the vote, but the figure of 148 is worse than a similar vote former leader Theresa May suffered in 2018, where she resigned just six months later.

The secret ballot of Tory lawmakers took place in Westminster on Monday evening. It comes at a time of deep dissatisfaction with Johnson's leadership and behavior in office less than three years after he secured a whopping parliamentary majority.

Calls for a confidence vote had grown louder after a report was released last month heavily criticizing the prime minister and other officials following a number of Covid-19 lockdown-breaking parties at Johnson's office and residence in Downing Street.

The confidence vote was triggered after 15% of Conservative lawmakers (or 54 of the current 359 Conservative Party MPs) submitted letters of no-confidence to Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee which oversees leadership challenges within the party.

The number of letters Brady received has not been disclosed although some lawmakers have issued public declarations in recent weeks.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer had called on Tory lawmakers to "step up, show leadership and get rid of him."

Johnson's public standing has been a source of concern for many Tory MPs and public sentiment toward the prime minister has become more negative since the "partygate" scandal.

On Friday, Johnson was booed when he arrived at St Paul's Cathedral in London for a thanksgiving service in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and her 70 years on the throne, a milestone marked over the past four days with Platinum Jubilee celebrations across the U.K.

Conservative peer Robert Hayward told Sky News on Monday that footage of Johnson being booed, widely commented on in the British media, could have influenced more Conservative MPs to submit letters to Brady.

Tory MP John Penrose on Monday resigned as the prime minister's anti-corruption tsar, saying it was "pretty clear" the prime minister had broken the ministerial code over the "partygate" scandal. Former Health Minister Jeremy Hunt, meanwhile, indicated he would be voting "for change."

Nonetheless, most senior Conservative lawmakers — including the foreign secretary and chancellor — said they would back the prime minister.

A Downing Street spokesperson said ahead of Monday's outcome that the vote was "a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people's priorities," Sky News reported.

The deciding factor for many Conservative lawmakers was likely to be whether Johnson could lead the party to another election victory, which will be held no later than January 2025. Berenberg Bank Senior Economist Kallum Pickering summed up the choice that lawmakers faced as follows:

"Whether Johnson stays or goes will be decided on one factor – what outcome the Conservatives believe gives them the best chance at the next election," he said in a note Monday.

"On the one hand, the case against Johnson is clear cut. Following escalating scandals and a souring economy, Johnson's Conservatives are sliding badly in the polls ... On the other hand, Johnson is a proven election winner – this counts for a lot," he said, recalling that in the last snap election in 2019 Johnson won the biggest Conservative majority since 1987.

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